Agenda item

Kevin Gordon, Assistant Director, Professional Services outlined a report setting out the Council’s proposed new Smoking Policy and amended times during which staff would be permitted to smoke during the working day.  The Committee was requested to consider the revised policy and the requested implementation date.

The Officer advised that the Council had engaged ‘Solutions 4 Health to support staff as part of the Council’s Employee Wellbeing programme to help the Council to achieve its goal of becoming a smoke free environment.  Since 13^th January 2015, the company had offered free one to one confidential support, provide weekly nicotine replacement therapy and helped staff who wanted to set a quit date.

There was no data available to identify how many employees smoked and it was therefore difficult to gauge whether the initiative was having a successful impact. So far 8 employees had signed up to the ‘Commit to Quit’ scheme.

The Committee was advised that the Council’s Smoking Policy was created in 2007, following new government rules regulating smoking in the workplace.  In 2014 the Council reinforced the times that staff were permitted to smoke at work which was currently anytime outside of core hours, i.e. 10am – 12noon and 14.00pm – 16.00pm. 

Staff had generally complied with these hours but the Council aimed to further reduce smoking at work and a recommendation to extend the times that staff were not allowed to smoke during the working day was proposed.  With effect from 1^st April, 2015 it was proposed that staff would not be allowed to smoke between the hours of  09.30am – 12.00 noon and 14.00 – 16.30pm.

Members were referred to the revised smoking Policy set out at Appendix 1 of the report and to a number of FAQs that were compiled for the Council’s intranet to assist staff.

It was highlighted that smoking,indesignatedareaswould only bepermittedintheemployee’sowntimeand anycontraventionofthe policybyemployeeswould beregardedasa disciplinary breachandwould  betreatedasmisconductundertheDisciplinaryPolicy.

Directors and Senior Managers were responsible for promotingawarenessof the policy and ensuringthatallworkersco-operatedto ensurethesuccessofthispolicy.  At the same time, employeeswere responsiblefor co-operating and complying with the no smoking rules.  The Officer concluded that smoking was considered to be one of the biggest causes if ill health and premature death in the country and the Council was committed to providing a safe and comfortable working environment for employees and visitors. 

The Committee welcomed the report as a measure to improve the health of Slough BC staff.

Resolved-

(a)  That the revised Council Smoking Policy set out at Appendix 1 of the report, extending the hours that staff are not permitted to smoke to: 09.30am – 12.00 noon and 14.00 – 16.30pm be agreed.

(b)  That the revised Council Smoking Policy be implemented on 1^st April 2015.