There are compelling reasons for organisations to consider going 100% Smoke-Free. Not only will the organisation implement current best practice in protecting the health and safety of staff, service users and visitors, increase productivity[1] and save costs but a comprehensive and well implemented Smoke-Free policy will also make a positive difference to the lives of the staff within the organisation.

A 100% Smoke-Free workplace actually supports quitting among workers and certainly prevents new or younger workers taking it up. It changes the culture of the workplace from one where smoking is seen as acceptable and normal work behaviour to one where smoking is seen as no longer acceptable and normal in the workplace. In a Smoke-Free workplace, workers who are attempting to quit or cut down their smoking are no longer hindered by a work setting where smoking is considered normal and others smoking provides powerful triggers for relapse. 

For more information about the advantages of Smoke-Free see our Quit SA resource

7 Reasons to go Smoke-Free

Policy

A good smoke free  policy enables organisations to be clear about how smoking is managed in the workplace.  Policy allows an organisation to spell out the rationale and principles behind their approach and sets expectations that will guide procedures.

A comprehensive smoking policy should outline:

•       Rationale

•       Smoke free environments – including building & grounds, vehicles, home visiting services

•       Support available to staff

•       Expectations of staff

•       Compliance/monitoring measures

For health and community services organisations a policy should also outline:

·         Support available to clients

·         Systems to record interventions with clients about smoking

Support to staff, and where appropriate clients, is a key element in ensuring smoke-free policies work.  Organisations need to decide to what extent they can support staff, and also clients in the case of health and community services organisations, to quit or manage their smoking. Support for staff and clients can be approached in a variety of ways:

•       Utilising employee health and wellbeing programs

•       Providing quit information and resources including referrals to Quitline

•       Access to subsidised nicotine replacement therapy products or other pharmacotherapy for both quitting and temporary abstinence as appropriate

•       Providing  workplace quit courses or support groups

•       Training  for staff to provide peer support for quitting

•       Training and education for staff to provide both quit support to their clients as well as assistance for temporary abstinence from smoking  i.e. during a hospital stay

Health and community services organisations have a unique role in offering support to the clients who use their services. Smoking is a very significant health and social justice issue making tobacco everybody’s business the health and community services sectors. Research shows that interest and support from health and community services workers does increase the likelihood that a smoker will both attempt quitting and be more likely to succeed.

Example Policies & Other Resources

How to Go Smoke-Free: A Guide For Workplaces

A very comprehensive resource that any organisation should find useful

Addressing Smoking in Community Services Organisations: A Policy Toolkit

Specific for community services organisations

 SA Health Smoke-free policy

A recently implemented policy reflecting Smoke-Free policy best practice