Financial Incentives in the Workplace Help Smokers Quit
Posted by proforma on March 10, 2009 | No Comments
Companies that want to help employees quit their smoking habit may be interested to hear GE’s successful experience with financial incentives.
A research project conducted by the University of Pennsylvania used a study group of 878 GE employees across the country, roughly half of which were offered up to $750 to quit. (The other half was offered no financial incentive, but provided smoking-cessation information.)
The financial incentives were $100 for completion of a smoking-cessation program, $250 for cessation of smoking within 6 months after study enrollment, as confirmed by a biochemical test, and $400 for abstinence for an additional 6 months after the initial cessation, as confirmed by a biochemical test.
After a year, 14.7 percent of the incentivized group still were not smoking, compared with 5 percent of the information-only group. The success rate exceeded the success rate typically experienced by smoking-cessation programs.
The results of this study were published on The New England Journal of Medicine website.
Tags:GE, smoking, smoking cessation program, Workplace Safety
Filed Under: Home Safety, Workplace Safety
