Employers can help their employees live longer and healthier lives while increasing workplace productivity.

Palm Beach, Fla, September 1, 2005 - “Labor Day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers,” states the U.S. Department of Labor. “It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.” But the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country have been undermined by smoking. Statistics show that every employee who smokes costs employers over $9,300 in lost productivity, smoking breaks, excess medical expenditures and other related cost each and every year. Smoking is a costly and deadly habit that robs the employee and employers from productivity, resources and revenue. An estimated one out of four Americans smoke – that means, unfortunately, one out of four employees smoke and/or live with one who smokes. Tobacco use and smoking among employees can be reduced to improve their health, productivity and socioeconomic well-being while saving employers a great amount of time and money. According to Smoke Free Society, the average 20-cigarette-a-day smoker loses an average of 3 hours and 20 minutes of their waking hours a day to smoking -- that means the employer is losing nearly two hours of productivity in an eight hour shift. The good news is that when smokers quit for good, they not only improve their health, they become more valuable and productive employees. Smoke Free Society offers calculators on its website to help employers/employees calculate the amount of money and productivity lost to smoking. Smoke Free Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping smokers quit and educating kids not to start. Its smoking cessation plans help smokers quit with a drug-free, three-step plan that takes just 17 days. The steps of the plan are preparation, gradual weaning off nicotine, and on-going support. We strongly believe that preparation and support are the most important elements in successful quitting and staying smoke free,” said Seyedin, founder of Smoke Free Society. “We have been told many times over by smokers that when they have tried quitting in the past, they were lacking good support. And quitting cold turkey for many smokers is done out of desperation and without preparation or planning. And many falter because their withdrawal symptoms are more severe than if they weaned themselves from their cigarettes, as Smoke Free Society’s quitting plans do.” According to the Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, “Paying for tobacco use cessation treatments is the single most cost-effective health insurance benefit for adults that can be provided to employees.” Smoke Free Society also provides workplace seminars to help employers educate their employees about the health and socioeconomic effects of smoking. These seminars provide smokers with a program to quit and are an effective tool to bring together, unify, inform and educate all employees, smokers as well as nonsmokers, of the health hazards, financial burdens and long-term negative impacts that smoking has on their lives, and on their families’ lives. Most importantly, it will create an environment that includes openness, cooperation, support and care that smokers need to quit and stay tobacco free. The Smoke Free Society website is a portal to an array of free information and facts to help educate everyone on the adverse effects of smoking. Its smoking cessation seminar, plans, programs and dedicated staff are ready to help you, your employees, friends, or loved ones quit smoking before it’s too late. Visit the website at www.SmokeFreeSociety.org today. Related video by the CDC on the health consequences of smoking on the human body: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_2004/sgranimation/flash/index.html.

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