One in five employers in England provide staff with advice on quitting smoking

With five weeks to go until smoking in workplaces is banned in England, only a fifth of employers are providing their staff with advice on how to quit smoking, research has found.

A survey of more than 1,800 UK employers by recruitment firm Manpower found more than half of UK employers claimed the ban had made them more aware of the importance of the employees’ health.

But that fewer than half (46%) are providing access to, or encouraging, healthy living in ways such as gym facilities, free fruit, healthy food or diet counselling.

Overall, 82% of the UK employers surveyed consider a healthy workforce improves staff motivation, 64% say that it increases productivity, and 56% that it reduces absenteeism. 

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Jason Greaves, director of commercial staffing at Manpower UK, said: “Health benefits can be important tools in a recruitment and retention strategy: many jobseekers today expect employers to offer such benefits. 

“By making these available, employers in all industries will be better placed to recruit and retain the right people, then reap the benefits with a more motivated and productive workforce.”