Smoking: The cost to your business

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Updated October 2014

Let's be honest, we all know that smoking is bad for us. Research from Cancer Research UK shows that around half of all smokers die from smoking-related diseases.

There are warnings on cigarette packets, smoking bans in public spaces, posters in our doctors' surgeries and cautionary tales on TV. Yet, according to Cancer Research UK, more than 10 million adults in Britain still smoke cigarettes.

Statistics from Patient UK, show that every year in the UK, smoking:

• is responsible for around 100,000 deaths;
• is directly linked to 80% of lung cancer cases;
• is linked to cancers of the mouth, nose, throat, larynx, oesophagus, pancreas, bladder, cervix, blood and kidneys; 
• is directly linked to 80% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and
• accounts for around one in six deaths from heart disease.

While smoking may be a personal choice, it doesn't just affect the smoker. If you employ smokers it has an impact on your business too.

In the UK, it is estimated that around 34 million working days are lost due to smoking-related sick leave every year.

This absenteeism can adversely affect the productivity of your business. It can also increase pressure on other employees, who may be covering the absence in addition to performing their own duties. This is why Kodiak's workplace posters cover smoking on a regular basis.

We understand that the motivation to quit smoking is different for different people, so we vary the content of our anti-smoking posters. Sometimes we look at the health issues – the positives of giving up and the negatives of continuing to smoke. Sometimes we focus on the finances and how much smoking costs. And sometimes we look at the impact smoking has on loved ones.

Our database contains more than 10,000 original poster designs covering smoking and a variety of other health issues.

If you would like to find out more about the anti-smoking posters we have available, please contact us.

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If you would like to find out how Kodiak posters 
can help your business work smoother, smarter 
and safer, please call us on: 01530 456 000 
or email us.