Do Smoke-Free Policies Affect Employee Retention?

Here are some studies on employee retention after smoke-free policies were introduced.

cigarette butt
Photo by Rutgers Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies

Researchers have found that employers have NOT had an exodus of employees or customers. If anything, smoke-free laws have strengthened employee retention and boosted customer satisfaction.

  • Smoke-Free Laws and Employee Turnover: University of Nebraska researchers found workers at 23 restaurants were more likely to stay in their jobs following smoke-free policies.
  • Case Study on Integral Care of Texas: The CDC found this company retained staff, reduced tobacco use among employees and increased staff support for the policy to 80%.
  • CDC Guide to Smoke-free Workplaces: The CDC’s guide to making workplaces smoke-free mentions that smoke-free workplaces are more likely to retain employees. It also cites some examples of businesses that did this successfully.