Council staff encouraged to ‘go smoke free’
Staff at Warwickshire County Council are being encouraged to ‘go smoke free’ with the help and advice of other employees, some of whom have formerly kicked the habit themselves.
The initiative was formally launched this week to coincide with national No Smoking Day.
As part of the county council’s commitment to supporting a healthy workforce, employees who want to quit are now able to turn to a special team of Stop Smoking Advisers.
The fourteen advisers already work for the council in jobs such as community protection and children’s services and are based around the county, but they have also been approved to offer ‘stop smoking’ advice to their colleagues by Warwickshire NHS Stop Smoking Services.
Councillor Alan Farnell, Leader of Warwickshire County Council, said: “A recent staff survey revealed that, out of those employees who took part, 74% who currently smoke want to quit the habit. This figure is well above the national average for smokers that want to quit.
“We owe it to these employees to give them the support and guidance they need to boost their will-power and get unhooked. It will also have a positive effect for their colleagues and for our customers.”
In addition to help from the Stop Smoking Advisers, employees who want to quit will also find lots of information on the county council’s intranet site and the NHS Smoking Helpline (0800 169 0169) has also been publicised to staff.
On No Smoking Day, the county council’s updated Smoke Free Workplace Policy also comes into effect. The Government’s Health Act 2006 will see virtually all workplaces in England become smoke-free environments by 1 July 2007.