KCJ Training and Employment Solutions in Swindon has decided to compensate its employees that do not smoke with 4 additional leave days' per annum.
This is based on a rough estimation that if a smoker takes just one smoking break a day, at 10 minutes a break, it equates to an annual equivalent of a little more than 5 days based on an 8-hour working day.
KCJ's Managing Director explained that this was introduced into the company as a way to compensate the non-smoking employees for, essentially, having less breaks, as opposed to penalising those employees that do smoke. He also commented that this was embraced by all of the colleagues – smokers and non-smokers alike.
Moreover, it was stated that the company will support any employee that wants to quit smoking with the incentive of more annual leave. This means that if an employee decides to quit smoking and does not smoke for 3 months, they will get an additional days' leave. If that employee keeps it up for 6 months, it will increase to 2 days and so on.
This is an interesting incentive which aligns with the thought that a healthier workplace is a happier workplace. We wonder whether more employers will follow suit with this incentive, indirectly encouraging more people to quit smoking (which is supposedly the government's goal to eliminate smoking in England by 2030).
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This is not legal advice; it is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.
