If your organization employs a person who smokes, it is important to remember that your company does not need that employee to quit smoking. Can you imagine the powerful message that would be sent to an employee if their manager took a smoke break with them just to get to know them? Rather than feeling ashamed for the stigma of being less productive than non-smoking employees, the smoking employee could feel supported and a greater sense of belonging to the whole team.Īcknowledgement of the value we bring to the team. One simple method that can help bridge the gap in understanding between smoking employees and their non-smoking coworkers is to consciously decide to spend time with the smoking employee while they smoke. Deciding I am not a person who smoke requires that I know who I am and why I behave the way I do.Įmployers may find it difficult to give their smoking employees the space they need to be who they are and understand their own behavior in regard to smoking. Wanting to be a non-smoker does not make it so. For example, if a person who smokes is constantly focused on becoming a non-smoker without understanding why s/he smokes and what value they derive from smoking, they will never make a sound decision to not smoke. The reason this primary step is so important is because without understanding and embracing who we are, we will ultimately end up focusing on who we are not.

Before any of us can move in a better direction, we have to understand that we are acceptable where we currently are. There are a few key concepts that are crucial to keep in mind when supporting anyone who is trying to make a positive change in their life. I’d like to offer some support in this area based on my 15+ years in the health and wellness industry.

While New York State has taken the lead in establishing the simple policy of all smoking is prohibited in workplaces, the challenging work of supporting employees who smoke is still something that all employers face.

Over the past decade, the determination that tobacco use in the workplace should be prohibited has left some employers struggling to come up with policies and procedures to prohibit smoking and at the same time show support for the value each employee (smoker or non-smoker) brings to their organization. At inDeed Wellness we help employer groups everyday in building a healthy workstyle for their employees to thrive in and reach their potential as people first and, as a result, employees also.

Ibehave therapy group indeed