"Smokers need not apply"

Lost work hours, illnesses and poor social habits due to smoking can harm your career prospects

Eisha Sarkar
Posted on Hello Wellness on Oct 1 2010 9:07AM
 

You saunter in through the office door. You stop dead in your tracks. Your boss is waiting at your desk. "Where the hell were you?" You try to hold your nicotine-laden breath. Your boss wouldn't understand your need for another smoke-break. He doesn't smoke. And that spells trouble.

Smoking can harm not only your health but also your career. In 2004, senior Irish politician John Deasy was sacked and faced prosecution charges for having a cigarette yards from Leinster House (home of the Irish Parliament) where the country's new smoking ban became law. But it's more than just disrespect for non-smoking laws that can hamper your career.

More breaks cost work hours
Smokers take at least three or four breaks in a typical work day. These 15-minute breaks add up to an average of 20 hours in a month. That means roughly 240 hours per year lost to taking smoke breaks! Now wouldn't the company be better off hiring a non-smoker?

Higher medical claims
Smokers suffer from more illnesses and miss more work than do non-smokers. The medical bills are higher and medical insurance coverage is more limited for people who smoke. Many companies now realise that they stand to save money and become more profitable if their employees do not smoke.

Dull employees are no good
Scientists have proved that smoking damages the brain's frontal lobes, which are responsible for multiple functions of everyday life, including your ability to accurately judge or anticipate the consequences of your actions. Smoking also harms the area of the brain responsible for motor skills and may lower IQ. That certainly does not help your career!

Bad breath, few friends
Smoking weakens your gums and causes bad breath. While non-smoker friends and work colleagues joke about your brushing habit, your client may simply brush you off.

Smoking is not cool. You may share conversation and nicotine with other smokers at work, but the benefits are not going to last for long. Instead, ask your non-smoker friends to help you quit the puff.