Employee Smoking Policy
Author: Jason Habinsky, Haynes & Boone
When to Use
Employers should consider implementing a policy on workplace smoking to protect employee health and to address concerns of non-smokers, clients and customers about secondhand smoke. In addition to limiting exposure to a major cause of disease and death, an employee smoking policy also makes sense from a business cost perspective. It reduces health care costs, absenteeism and lost productivity, while also decreasing maintenance costs and reducing insurance liability risks and premiums.
Additionally, some states and localities require employers to adopt and maintain a written workplace smoking policy. Adopting, implementing, and enforcing a smoking policy allows employers to ensure that all employees are in compliance with state and local laws and that there is no confusion about what is, and is not, permitted.
Please note that this policy does not address the inhalation of marijuana.
