Workers think heavy smokers take extra sick leave
Wed 2 Jul 2008
02/07/2008
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Employees believe overweight colleagues who smoke take more sick leave, it has been reported. According to pension provider, Aon Consulting, 56 per cent of employees thought obese workers took extra time off because of illness, while 57 per cent believed smokers were most likely to call in sick. Alex Bennett, head of health consulting, said: "Extra days off work means lost productivity, which hurts the bottom line." "While there are health reasons why employers should help their workforce either to quit smoking or lose weight, from a financial point of view it is in the best interest of businesses to implement programmes aimed at assisting this." The pension firm's research also found one-third of workers felt older employees took more time off for health reasons. The government has announced changes to its Equality Bill, which will broaden the scope of current age discrimination law. Following the announcement of the new measures, health secretary, Alan Johnson said: "In an ageing society, the way we ensure older people are treated with respect is one of the most important issues we face."
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