Smoke Breaks: U.K. Employers Ambivalent

Breathe Deep: Following on the heels of a government ban on smoking, wellness experts in Great Britain are calling on employers to take more active roles in helping their employees kick the habit. According to Nuffield Proactive Health, a wellness consulting company in Surrey, about 63 percent of organizations “believe employees who smoke do not present a good company image,” but only 44 percent subscribe to the notion that it is a company’s responsibility to help workers quit. About 72 percent of employers have no plans to develop smoking-cessation programs, even though 59 percent agree that turning smoking rooms into wellness or health facilities is a good idea. Most companies also apparently hope the government ban will do the trick, with 67 percent figuring it will lead more employees to quit voluntarily.