Smoke Defectors

Tweet

Lost productivity, increased health-insurance costs, potential damages to equipment and furnishings, as well as early retirement payments resulting from employee smoking, have forced more and more companies to implement no-smoking policies in the workplace. A variety of incentives have been used to help employees kick the habit. Speedcall Corp., a small electronics company in Hayward, Calif., offered a $7 weekly bonus to employees who don't smoke. Today, only 5 of Speedcall's 51 employees still smoke. Another employer wagered employees that they could not quit smoking for one year. Those who lost donated their bets to the American Cancer Society.