Smoking: almost one in two businesses do not meet the Evin Law

In almost one in two businesses, the smoking ban is not at all or only partially implemented, according to the results of an Ipsos poll.

After a survey of French employees on the perception of tobacco company, which was part of the desire of employees to work in a smoke free environment, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare has renewed its approach to interviewing this time 404 business leaders of all sizes (from 10 to more than 250 employees) and all sectors (industrial, service, commerce) to compare points of view.

If business leaders and employees agree that the existing anti-smoking legislation is a good thing, the survey paints a nuanced about its compliance and enforcement statement, and highlights the paradox that drives leaders to towards the idea of a company without tobacco.

Three-quarters of respondents say it is forbidden to smoke on their website, either totally or partially (some with areas for smoking). Prohibition is well respected in 72% of cases, however recognize leaders.

In total, therefore, 45% of French respondents who agree not to use the Evin law within their premises and expose their employees to cigarette smoke, said Edouard Lecerf, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, during a press conference for the presentation of the survey results.

At a time when many countries are politically committed in favor of banning smoking in public places, France is lagging seriously behind!

Among the reasons given by leaders to justify the absence of a strict observance of the Evin law in their company premises causes, space configuration, which makes application difficult is widely put forward (34%), especially in service companies.

Is invoked immediately after the risk of offending employees and generate conflicts (30%), again mostly in the service companies. Yet many leaders who recognize, after application of the law, it creates little tension whatsoever between smoking and non-smoking employees (74%) or between employees and management (84%).

"Areas of strength" are observed in 22% of business leaders, who consider normal that smokers can smoke in the workplace or in 10% who believe that the smoke is not a nuisance.

The inertia of entrepreneurs may also be explained by their underestimation of risks, only 13% of those who do not or poorly ban smoking in their premises holding significant risk that an employee complaint. They are also likely to admit to not knowing the consequences in case of complaint, only one quarter of them assume the rather heavy.

This distancing of reality is reflected in the lack of commitment from business leaders for help to stop smoking, which, ignoring a completely paradoxical speech, refrain from acting because "nobody are asked "(34%). In addition, while nearly 80% of managers say they believe it is their duty to ensure a work environment for their employees without smoke, a majority (55%) believes, however, that this is not the business of helping smokers to quit.

Hope, however, in this relatively bleak picture of the 45% of companies that fall outside the scope of the Evin law, two-thirds say they are interested in the opportunity to benefit from services such as receiving information, receive training on withdrawal from the occupational physician or receive internal communication tools, pedagogy.

To this end, Pfizer has launched a website to help companies hire an approach for a company without tobacco (www.entreprise-in-tabac.com).

Totally free, it provides business information and tools necessary to meet the Evin law.