How Employers Contribute to the Rise in Smoking

by Seleisha ScarlettFeb 25, 2022

Smoking in the workplace is something that has been debated for a long time - year after year employers struggle with this notion: to accommodate or to not accommodate smokers? Well to be clear, it is not mandatory for employers to provide smoking breaks, or a smoking area for their employees, and in fact workplaces are required to display no smoking signs or risk a hefty fine. Luckily for vapers on the other hand, vaping is exempt from these anti-smoking regulations. So how exactly are employers contributing to a rise in smoking?

Despite the clear regulations and guidance which isolates vaping from smoking laws, employers continue to stigmatize vaping by painting it with the same brush as smoking, imposing vaping bans within the workplace, thus resulting in a high relapse rate among workers, and now vapers across the UK believe that is time for employers to review their one-fit all policy.

Vaping has officially and publicly been declared 95% safer than smoking. In addition to this, there is no evidence that passive e-cigarette vapour is harmful. And whilst cigarette smokers feel comfortable taking cigarette breaks as and when as well as smoking in outdoor areas, designated or not - the same is not true for vapers.

Now employers may argue, if you want to vape, just head to the designated smoking section, surely? Well imagine this - you’ve just proudly started your diet, well done! You’re doing so well, and boom, someone - or perhaps the whole office, walks in with a load of sweet treats. Annoying, right? Now picture this everyday. Eventually, you give in. Now this doesn’t mean to say your diet is completely over - but for former heavy smokers, this could in fact lead to a relapse; which is why we do not recommend spending much time in areas where you may feel under pressure or tempted to smoke a cigarette, especially not a designated area for the cause.

There is an obvious solution to this which is for employers to wholly review and release the stigma surrounding vaping within workplaces. No-smoking signs and actively enforcing a smoke-free workplace are two completely different things. There are tremendous amounts of studies and research which prove that vaping has and still heavily contributes to smokers being able to effectively quit for good.

Share your experience of vaping within the workplace in the comments section below.