It has been suggested that for every employee in the US that smokes costs his or her employer about $6,000 per annum more than their non-smoking counterparts.

In my Australian workplace, a smoker taking 10 cigarette breaks per day at 10 minutes per break, on top of rostered meal breaks, cost this employer approximately $13,000 per annum in lost productivity – assuming an hourly rate of $30 and 260 days at work per year.

A study published in the US journal “Tobacco Control”, absences due to sickness, reduced productivity, smoking breaks and additional health care costs contribute to the bulk of the additional costs.

Employers in the US have begun charging their workers higher premiums for health insurance, or have begun hiring only non-smokers in a move to reduce operating costs.