Effects on Businesses as it relates to employee's smoking habits Research Paper

Effects on Businesses as it relates to employee's smoking habits - Research Paper Example This has created a concern for the human resource department. The premiums of the health insurance are seen to rise and now the companies are looking towards shifting this cost towards the employees. Some of the organizations are charging surcharges, while some others have decided not to recruit smoker at the first. This has created hue and cry among the experts and they demand stricter action from the side of the government. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Affect of smoking 4 Discussion 6 Results 9 Recommendations 13 Reference 14 Introduction In recent times the smoking habit of the employees has become a major concern for the employers of United States. It has been seen that when the employees make a positive move towards the lifestyle by leaving their smoking habit both the society and employers benefits at large. Though there is clear evidence of harmful effect of cigarette smoking on the health of the employees; yet there is much debate regarding the matter. Research has also e stablished that there is a reciprocal relationship between smoking and financial stress and social disadvantage. Several researches have also highlighted on the link between various form of social deprivation and high smoking rates (Stobbe, 2013). Rising number of research also focuses on the relationship that intensification and reinforcement of material hardship and financial stress is caused by smoking. ... Affect of smoking Health Hazards The use of tobacco is not only a chief cause of death from non-communicable diseases such as respiratory disease, cancer and heart disease but also from communicable diseases like tuberculosis, which exaggerates and activates the use of tobacco. The use of tobacco causes 600,000 deaths all over the globe and reduces the life expectancy of an individual by 20 to 25 years. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) smoking causes a rise in the risk of infertility, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral vascular disease, chronic obstructive lung diseases, lung cancer, stroke and coronary heart disease. Smoking affects almost every organ in the human body (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). This association can be adjusted through environmental and other exposures and the effect can be moderated via early detection and screening. However the affect of smoking generally increase with age and the burden of chronic and no n-communicable diseases increases (African Union, n.d.). Cost for Employers In 2000 smoking was one of the primary factors that caused death. Apart from mortality the economic burden caused by death is also of significant amount. As per the estimation of Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every year the cost of estimation increases by $167 billion in United States. This estimation includes both $92 billion, the cost of loss of productivity resulting from the loss of productive life on the event of premature death and $75 billion resulting from the indirect healthcare cost (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.; NBC News, 2005). There are some addition costs that are bear by the employer of the smokers like effect of second hand