Wellness Programs – Smokers Beware.

In the last few years, there’s been a rising trend for public companys – not just private businesses – to ban use of tobacco. Here’s what your peers are doing.

What’s New in Benefits and Compensation recently surveyed 374 of our readers from both the private and public sectors to find out their organization’s policy on permitting staff members to smoke onsite and hiring smokers in the first place. Here’s what we found –

• 11 percent have developed a policy of hiring only non-smokers

• 17 percent allow workers to smoke offsite, but ban it on all business property

• 39 percent restrict smoking to designated areas outside the building

• 30% allow smoking anywhere outside the building, and

•  3 percent allow use of tobacco in break rooms or other indoor areas.

Public companys get aggressive

While much of the publicity about no-hire policies for smokers centers on private businesses, it’s actually public companys in certain states who have been the most assertive of late.

For example, Florida is one of the states at the forefront of the movement. Sarasota County recently became  the third Florida county to take a no-hire stance in order to control health care costs.  

New hires must take a drug test that detects nicotine and sign a pledge certifying that they haven’t smoked in the past 12 months.

The ban won’t affect current workers, but the county has undertaken smoking cessation programs aimed at employees’ wallets.

Non-smokers pay less for coverage through various incentives and the county covers the cost of participating in tobacco use cessation programs.

The reason why Florida public employers are able to take these steps –  the state supreme Supreme Court has ruled that refusing to hire smokers doesn’t break discrimination laws.

But your state laws may vary, so proceed with caution before considering similar policies.