Smoking at work: where Austria's workers smoke the most!

Smoking at work: where Austria's workers smoke the most!

A new survey by the market research company Censuswide, carried out on behalf of Northerner, examines the smoke behavior in various professional groups in Austria. According to the survey, almost 70 % of the surveyed smokers indicate that stress in the workplace promotes their cigarette consumption. This stress leads to a loss of around two weeks of working hours through unplanned breaks every year.

The results show that the highest cigarette consumption in the catering and retail industries, where 17 % of those surveyed smoke. The healthcare system also has a significant smoking share with 11 %, followed by finance with 10 % and the IT industry with 8 %. In contrast, the smoking proportion is in creative professions, such as art and law, only 2-3 %. It is particularly striking that marketing and media stay behind these creative professions at 5 %.

smoking in healthcare

In addition to the Austrian figures, a survey in Switzerland shows that even 14 % of employees smoke in healthcare, which makes it the highest proportion of smoking. This is reinforced by stress in these professions, which supports the results of Northerner. In finance, this proportion is 13 %, while in art and culture the smoking share is only 5 %. The health pressure of the stressful situations explains the dependence on cigarettes in these professions, since it often serves as a valve for coping with

In the highly frequented industries such as retail and gastronomy, employees consume an average of 12.35 cigarettes a day, which shows that stress at work has a decisive influence on cigarette consumption. The total number of cigarettes per day among the smokers in Austria is an average of 11.5, with the HR department, which is at the top with 13.5 cigarettes per day. This makes it clear that the need for coping with stress in these professions is considerable.

Legal framework and future prospects

smoking at the workplace is an emotional topic that affects many employees. The statutory non -smoking protection is regulated by § 5 ArbstättV, the employer obliges to protect non -smokers from the health risks through tobacco smoke. In Germany, cigarette sales are declining, but about every four still smoke. Employers have a discretion in the implementation of non -smoking protection and can introduce measures such as smoking rooms and bans in certain areas.

A company agreement that is set up in cooperation between employer and the works council can determine binding regulations on smoking in the company. Such agreements are important to protect the rights of smokers and non -smokers. In the event of violations of existing smoking bans, warnings or even dismissals can threaten. During the smoking breaks, working hours must also be stopped, which in turn underlines the importance of compliance with regulations.

The present surveys and legal framework make it clear that smoking not only carries health risks at work, but also has a significant impact on productivity and working atmosphere. Employers and employees are required to develop solutions together in order to reduce stress at the workplace and at the same time to strengthen non -smoking protection.

For more information on this topic, see OE24.at, 20min.ch and Kanzlei-hasselbach.de.