NBGH - Tobacco: The Business of Quitting - Smoking Cessation Efforts

Building a Corporate Culture of Health

Employers recognize the costs associated with poor health and understand the connection between health and productivity. Therefore, many employers are building a corporate culture of health. "A culture of health is created when company policies, practices, and social norms of expected and accepted behaviors drive positive health practices throughout the organization."¹ Since tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and causes serious health problems,² tobacco cessation programs and policies should be considered when building a corporate culture of health.

To begin, develop a strategy to gain leadership involvement. Leadership involvement is essential to building a strong foundation for a new tobacco cessation workplace program and/or policy. Without leadership support, it is unlikely to produce the desired effect of reducing tobacco use. Leadership can help motivate and inspire employees to value good health and well-being. For example, a company goal to improve employee health can also formally be written into company objectives. Endorsement by leadership not only allows for the establishment of the program or policy, it also legitimizes the program among employees. The most effective way to involve leadership is to present a compelling business case for tobacco cessation programs. Information about the value of tobacco cessation programs can be found in the Business Case section of this website.

Employers can bolster their business case presentations with potential return on investment calculations from their own companies. This calculator provides both an estimate of the cost of not treating tobacco as well as a cost for benefit implementation.

Return on Investment Calculator

Once leadership decides to implement tobacco cessation services and policies as a part of their corporate culture of health, it is important to establish a committee that will steer the institution of the new program and/or policy.

Potential Tobacco Cessation Committee Members	How They Contribute
Human Resource Specialist	Understands employee needs and motivators. Knows how to promote and integrate a new program within existing company programs and policies. Experienced at quantifying the ROI for programs. Assists with monitoring and evaluation efforts as part of existing program outcome measures and employee satisfaction surveys.
Director of Employee Benefits	Knows how to integrate and promote a new benefit within existing company benefits. Experienced at quantifying the ROI for programs.
Wellness Coordinator Medical Director Occupational Health	Skilled in addressing health needs of employees. Can provide creative ideas and support for integrating the program into existing employee health services.
Supervisors	Can provide insight on merging needs of the business with employee concerns.
Facilities Management & Security	Can provide support for policy enforcement.
Policy/Legal Department	Can assist with structuring language and legal review of policy.
Employee Representatives	Employees from different staff levels and positions (both tobacco users and non-tobacco users) will provide the most useful guidance in creating a program that meets diverse needs. Can provide feedback on potential concerns that might arise.
Public Relations & Communications	Assists in promoting the program with potential users, colleagues, and supervisors.
Labor Leaders	Can provide insight regarding cessation services that meet particular workforce needs.
Financial Advisor	Can provide guidance on current and future funding resources, and assists in resource allocation strategies.

For more information about creating a committee and the responsibilities of the committee click on the following link from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also provides next steps for instituting a workplace program or policy.

Assessing Need and Interest

Citations

¹ Hemp P. Where will we find tomorrow's leaders? A conversation with Linda A. Hill. Harvard Business Review. January 2008. Available at: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?ml_action=get-article&articleID=R0801J&ml_page=1&ml_subscriber=true. Accessed July 21, 2008.
² U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health benefits of smoking cessation: a report of the Surgeon General. Washington, DC: Office of the Surgeon General, 1990. Available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports.htm. Accessed April 21, 2008.

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