Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire In A Serviced Office

I haven’t smoked for years now, but I still remember the days when it used to be quite acceptable to light up in the serviced office. In fact some board meetings were so smoky it was like a Victorian pea-soup smog. You had to guess who was talking by the sound of their voice (or cough).

Of late, I have been wondering if I performed better when I puffed away, or if I do now. So I did some research.

Two independent studies completed in Sweden and the United States revealed that smoking adversely affects productivity in the office.

The first study, undertaken by the U.S. Navy, suggests that smoking effects performance in a negative manner.

The Swedish study, suggests that smokers take many more sick days (about eight more days per annum), than the non-smoker.

The reports suggested, smoking was connected with disabilities, diminished job performance, reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and taking long work breaks too often.

The studies put forward that smokers spend more time out of the office than non-smokers and even though they to do their best trying to make up by using the stimulating effects of nicotine, they end up taking long breaks. This reduces productivity in the long run.

Also, I must admit that I reckoned that smoking helped with my stress but I have now discovered that it is the opposite.

Stress can affect an employee’s performance at work, which is why it is important to find a way to relax and manage the stress that work brings.It is important to know, however, that smoking does not only worsen stress, but causes adverse health effects.

Mayoclinic.com explains that cigarettes contain nicotine, a drug known to be a stimulant that is responsible for releasing mood-altering chemicals that cause temporary pleasure. However, when this happy mood wears off, people are susceptible to feeling stress again. Smoking is only a temporary solution to stress so you end up smoking more and more and more.

To sum up, not only does not smoking make the office a healthier place to be, a serviced office full of non smokers will find itself much more productive, than one which contains smokers.

 

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