Employers "Butt in" with Regard to Smoking in the Workplace‪.‬

ABSTRACT Cigarette smoking is the principal cause of premature death in the United States with over 440,000 people dying each year from smoke related diseases. And, smoking is expensive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that employee tobacco use costs US companies about $157 billion each year in direct medical expenses and lost productivity. Fed up with mounting health care costs, companies are trying an array of tactics to get employees to quit smoking. This paper will discuss the background surrounding smoking, describe the costs to society and businesses, outline the legal issues surrounding smoking, delineate what companies have done, and describe what managers can do to help their employees with this addiction as well as help the company's bottom line.