Smoking & Job Performance

Stress can affect an employee's performance at work, which is why it is important to find a way to relax and manage the stress that work brings. For many people, cigarette smoking is their way of coping with stress. It important to know, however, that smoking does not only worsen stress, but causes adverse health effects.

Features

• Mayoclinic.com explains that cigarettes contain nicotine, a drug known to be a stimulant that is responsible for releasing mood-altering chemicals that cause temporary pleasure. However, when this happy mood wears off, people are susceptible to feeling stress again. Smoking is only a temporary solution to stress (see references 4 and 9).

Smoking and Job Performance

• Employees often have "cigarette breaks" to release their stress from the office (see Reference 3). A lot of them have become dependent on smoking because it makes them more relaxed and focused after their breaks. Going on a "cigarette break" is a psychological means of dealing with stress. By getting out of the office for a cigarette break, employees feel that they are able to regain their focus (see Reference 3). According to Bgaworkersunion.tripod.com, employees who smoke are 50 percent more often absent than non-smoking employees. Absence during work results in lower productivity.

Effects

• Contrary to the generic belief that cigarette smoking can relax people, it can actually cause more stress. Weaning out of the effect of nicotine can only lower stress levels. People can feel more stressed, sad and miserable. The body will only increase its demand for nicotine in the body. Smoking does not solve anything, but instead worsens the situation (see Reference 4).

  According to the National Cancer Institute, smokers are six times more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who do not smoke. Smoking can cause serious damages to the respiratory system. Some of the long-term effects of smoking include premature aging, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases and emphysema. Short-term effects include increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and narrowing of the arteries (see Reference 7).

Warning

• According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, smoking can become addictive. In fact, it is the most used addictive drug in the U.S. (see Reference 8). The National Cancer Institute explains that tobacco is also a cancer-causing agent. It remains the leading cause of death in the United States alone, contributing to one out of every five annually (see Reference 7).

Prevention/Solution

• The Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida mentions that there are other healthy ways to reduce stress, and that smoking is not a solution to the problem. Reading, exercising, taking a walk, deep breathing and meditation can help reduce stress. Others who find it difficult to quit smoking may get help from a psychologist, social worker or psychiatrist (see Reference 4).