Category Archives: wellbeing

E cigarettes in the Workplace – Smoke and Mirrors?

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E-cigarettes are causing a storm. They have been introduced to help people give up smoking and sales have soared over the last ten years. Currently there are 1.3 million people in the UK that use the devices according to Action on Smoking and Health, therefore, employers need to understand how to manage e-cigarettes in the workplace.

From 2016 electronic cigarettes will be licensed as a medicine. Currently they are marketed as a safe way to help stop smoking. Many are designed to look like cigarettes, although some look like a pen. They vaporise a nicotine solution that replicates smoking tobacco but are not licenced by the Health Act 2006 which governs that. They do not give off smoke, do not contain tobacco but do contain chemicals. The British Medical Association states that more research needs to be done to establish the safety of the nicotine replacement devices as some experts have questioned this. In some countries they are very heavily regulated.

E-cigarettes are not a quit tool, they provide the individual with an alternative to smoking tobacco with the ability to inhale the vapour. Even if they are safe and whilst it is not illegal to use an electronic cigarette in the workplace, simulating smoking can cause employee disharmony therefore there are important considerations for employers.

Pregnant workers or those who are trying to give up may be particularly concerned about colleagues who use e-cigarettes in the workplace and mimic real smoking. In this day and age when well being is actively promoted and cigarette smoking in indoor public areas is banned, damage to the professional image of an organisation may be done if employees using e-cigarettes are viewed by customers who come on site. If e-cigarettes are permitted, therefore, they may give off the wrong message.

As a minimum employers should have guidelines that prevent the use of cigarettes in customer facing areas, in the presence of visitors and in catering or food preparation areas. Whilst many e-cigarettes are odourless, some do have an odour eg cinnamon that may be irritating to colleagues so additional guidelines on odour-free e-cigarettes should be included.

The potential benefits to employers for allowing the use of e-cigarettes are fewer smoke breaks and fewer health problems related to smoking and time of work. However, many employers are now starting to ban e-cigarettes totally in the workplace.

If employers are to ban the use of e-cigarettes they must amend an existing no smoking policy and or drugs/alcohol policy to include that fact as well as detail their approach to managing the situation. If no policy exists, one should be created. E-cigarettes should be expressly banned in company vehicles, in the workplace and on customer premises. Any changes to the policy, or development of a new one, needs to be well communicated to the workforce to avoid any misunderstandings.

Employers should consider providing a separate outdoor shelter for e-cigarette smokers, who are effectively non-smokers, if they provide the same facilities for smokers. After all it would not be fair to let these workers to share the same facilities as those who are smoking cigarettes. The number of smoking breaks allowed should be documented in a policy linked to the disciplinary policy for abuse of this privilege.

It is a business decision of whether an employer decides to allow the use of e-cigarettes or ban them.

National Obesity Awareness Week UK 2014 – What Can Employers Do?

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This week (13-19 January) is National Obesity Week which aims to promote awareness and management of obesity issues. Obesity is a growing epidemic in the UK – we have one of the fattest nations in Europe and are mirroring the US where this alarming trend started. It is forecast that if the trend is not contained by 2050 half of the UK population will be overweight. Many restaurants these days tend to promote “eat as much as you like” menus and fast food restaurants always try to up sell their foods such as MacDonalds where the assistants always ask “would you like fries with that?”. TV programmes regularly bring the matter to our attention.

Obesity and weight management causes a great deal of health problems and is putting a huge strain on the NHS. A recent TV programme highlighted that special furniture is being used in hospitals to accommodate larger patients such as bigger beds and chairs. This is a cost to taxpayers. The problem is beginning at an early age with many school age children who are overweight. Successive governments have sought to provide education on healthy eating in schools to help the problem, providing guidance on school meals and promoting physical education. Whilst over eating is a big cause of obesity, the lack of physical exercise is the main contributor whilst a genetic link to being over weight has also been discovered.. Obesity can cause diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and an increase in certain cancers. Prevention rather than cure should be at the heart of weight management.

An article published by Personnel Today a few years ago highlighted the problem of discrimination in the workplace against the obese. Apparently many companies would turn away from employing an obese candidate, would pass them over for promotion and they are more likely to be made redundant. The Equality Act does not protect those who are fat specifically; those who feel they are being discriminated against have to rely on other protected characteristics. Research done a few years ago in the UK highlighted the existence of stereotyping in that fat people are perceived to be emotionally impaired, socially handicapped and as possessing negative personality traits.

Dismissal for being fat per se is unlawful, however, a company may possibly be able to rely on capability if an employee is unable to do their job correctly as the impact of impaired mobility, reduced stamina, breathlessness and sleep apnoea caused by obesity may reduce job performance. Statistics show that an obese person is twice as likely to be off work sick than a healthy employee.

Employers have an essential role to play as work may contribute to the condition given that sedentary jobs are now very common and the way we all work now avoids physical activity together with the many hours we all spend in our cars driving, rather than walking to work.

High-calorie, high-fat food is often available in canteens and vending facilities dispense high sugar drinks. Buffet lunches are commonplace and are often a source of enormous calorie intake with the lazy style of eating.

So what can employers do?

Promoting health and well being in the workplace should be a top priority
Identify local facilities such as gyms/schemes to encourage activity possibly offering gym membership as an employee benefit
Review the canteen food menu and vending machine foods. Where possible subsidise healthy options
Encourage exercise by putting in place bike racks and providing loans to buy bikes
Provide coaching and counselling through an employee assistance programme

For more information http://www.nationalobesityforum.org.uk/

Movember – Raising Awareness of Men’s Health In the Workplace

The month of November has arrived and with it the worldwide campaign of Movember which raises awareness of men’s health through growing moustaches over the month to provide funds for initiatives related to prostate and testicular cancer and men’s health. My own husband is joining in the fun with his workplace which should be quite interesting! In the eighties many men had moustaches, but these days they can be a rare sight and are certainly not generally “on trend” these days.

Movember began in 2004 in Australia and is now a world-wide event during November. It encourages men (which the charity refers to as “Mo Bros”) to get involved, Movember aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments and reduce the number of preventable deaths. Besides getting an annual check-up, the Movember Foundation encourages men to be aware of any family history of cancer, and to adopt a healthier lifestyle

The Movember website promotes the benefits to employees as including fun and enjoyment in the workplace, mixing with colleagues, providing a sense of achievement, uniting departments and adding to team spirit, For employers Movember provides benefits to them which include employee engagement, adding to staff retention and providing a fun workplace. There is lots of information on the website about prostate and testicular cancer and men’s mental health which appear to be taboo subjects in the male macho world. However they need to talked about to raise awareness and men need to know what to look out for. Movember allows promotion to happen in a fun way which may appeal more to the male psyche.

Movember can be an opportunity for employers to promote men’s health and well being in the workplace. Men are notoriously bad at managing their health. They are less likely than women to go to their GP particularly regarding delicate and personal problems. Employers can therefore play a big part in helping to combat men’s shyness and reluctance to discuss what they may consider to be embarrassing matters. However the consequences of ignoring men’s health problems can lead to serious illness and even death. My son’s friend, who is only 28, was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer and is now undergoing treatment. Thankfully in this day and age the condition is 99% treatable so the outcome is good.

Employers’ can promote the fun and generate awareness through encouraging competitions – the hairiest, the biggest, the curliest moustache for example and giving a prize to the winner with a donation to the charity. Last year Movember raised £27m for prostate and testicular cancer initiatives which is fantastic news.

Whilst some employers may have policies on facial hair and its prevention, they do need to be fair, reasonable and justified. In 2000 Disney abandoned its policy of banning moustaches and allowed them provided they were grown in full away from the workplace. The ban had begun in the 1950s when Disney wanted to be distinguished from fairgrounds and despite Walt Disney himself sporting a moustache. Then in 2012 Disney allowed beards and goatees in the workplace. McDonalds currently has a policy of requiring staff to be clean shaven for hygiene reasons. They will only allow beards for religious reasons in which case a beard snood must be worn.

Does facial hair put employers off as part of the recruitment process? Well in the US in 2009 Gillette commissioned a survey of 500 HR professionals to find out. Apparently those men who are well groomed and clean shaven creates more of a good first impression than a firm handshake. A principle my son grasped on my advice when he went for an interview last year and secured the job. Unfortunately the moustache and beard quickly reappeared. The latest designer look of facial stubble does men no favours and can promote an unkempt, untidy look which may or may not be reflected in their performance. Many companies will not take the chance at interview.

Research done in the US in 2003 indicated that a having a beard did not harm a man’s job prospects. Whilst Margaret Thatcher did not allow any men with beards when she was prime minister these days there are many celebrity business figures in the UK who sport full facial hair such as Richard Branson and Alan Sugar. High profile Jeremy Paxman recently took a lot of stick from the media when he returned from holiday having grown a beard. However the US research showed that having a moustache alone did harm career prospects for men.

Whether facial hair is welcomed in the workplace or not, employers can do a lot to join in the fun of Movember and promote men’s health and wellbeing.