Five co-workers are pooling their efforts to kick the nicotine habit for good – including one receptionist who has reached the three-month milestone, thanks to a dedicated smoking support initiative offered by her employer.
Georgina Verso, who works for serviced office provider Business Environment at the Westpoint Business Centre in Bristol, has taken advantage of the package, which sees the company offer employees a contribution of up to £100 per year to spend on stop-smoking aids such as nicotine substitutes and relevant books to help them give up.
But that’s not all. Once they have gone for six months without a cigarette, Georgina and her fellow Business Environment employees are looking forward to being rewarded with a cheque for £100 from their employer to celebrate their success.
Commenting on the initiative, Georgina said: “I have been a smoker for over 20 years and, despite trying to quit a number of times, I have never quite managed to succeed. However, when I heard about the initiative that Business Environment was offering, I thought it was too good an opportunity to resist.
“In fact, when I mentioned the scheme to my nurse, she was amazed that it existed and said she wasn’t aware of any other company offering the same service, which shows that Business Environment is really leading the way when it comes to wellbeing-related benefits.”
David Saul, Managing Director of Business Environment, added: “We launched the smoking support initiative in a bid to help our employees give up smoking and adopt healthier lifestyles. Everyone is aware of the risks associated with smoking but for some people it can be a hugely difficult addiction to overcome. So by offering some help and a little incentive, we’re hoping we can make a difference to the lives of our staff who desperately want to quit.”
Companies keen to find out how Business Environment organises its smoking support initiative should contact Nazia Ahmed on 0207 959 6000 for more details.
