Four out of five of the least popular employee wellness programmes are designed to stop smoking.
Either discounted or free programmes to help staff stop smoking are provided by one in ten companies, however around 78% of those who do offer such programmes say that they have a positive impact on employee wellbeing. In 33% of organisations offering such programmes they were used frequently by staff.
The findings have come from the Britain's healthiest company initiative run by PruHealth with Vitality and Mercer, from a survey of 25,000 employees from 82 companies carried out by the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe.
The most commonly offered form of smoking intervention programme is information, offered by 61% of companies, 12% of which found they were used frequently, and 50% stated it improved employee wellbeing.
Of employees who smoke, 40% would either like to stop now or are currently trying to stop smoking, a further 49% would like to stop smoking at some point in the future.
Written policies prohibiting smoking in working areas are absent in 16% of companies, of those who do have policies 57% do not include e-cigarettes. Selling tobacco onsite either through stores or vending machines is not prohibited by 5% of companies.
Greg Levine, director of corporate vitality at PruHealth, said: "Companies need to direct their resources more appropriately and provide health and wellness facilities that are not only most wanted by employees but have the biggest impact on their health. By addressing one of the biggest contributors to lifestyle-related chronic diseases employers can reduce the incidence of absenteeism and presenteeism which costs the UK billions a year.
"Providing information alone is not enough as smokers are already well aware of the risks. Our research shows that many employees have already overcome the biggest hurdle and taken the decision to want to quit smoking. This is the group that companies need to provide effective support to, through smoking cessation programmes. They then need to be communicated appropriately so they are aware of them, and implemented effectively to ensure take-up."
