Okay smokers, you must weigh in on this.
Smokers perform worse at work than non-smokers, finds a study of US navy female
service members published in Tobacco Control .
Smokers were also
more likely to have a less than honorable discharge, to be demoted, to desert,
and to earn less than their non-smoking colleagues, the study showed.
Historically, the prevalence of smoking among US military personnel has
been higher than among civilians, say the authors. After a period of decline,
smoking rates have once more started to climb.
There are currently
around 59,000 women serving in the US Navy.
The findings are based on an
analysis of the career progression of almost 5,500 women entering the US Navy
over a period of 12 months between 1996 and 1997.
Time in service, the
proportion being discharged early or facing disciplinary procedures, as well as
promotions, demotions, absences without leave, and pay grades were all assessed.
The women's progress was tracked for around eight years.
Some
45% had never smoked. But 27% were daily smokers when they enlisted. The
remainder were ex smokers or smoked occasionally.
Compared with
non-smokers, daily smokers were less likely to enlist for eight years, and they
were significantly more likely to leave before they had served their full term.
Non-smokers achieved the longest period of service; daily smokers
achieved the shortest. Significantly fewer regular smokers re-enlisted
Regular smokers were significantly more likely than non-smokers to be
discharged for medical reasons, bad behavior, misconduct, including drug
misuse, and personality disorders.
On average, non-smokers were paid
significantly more than daily smokers, even after taking account of educational
attainment and time in service.
The performance of those who had smoked
in the past or were occasional smokers typically fell somewhere in between that
of people who had never smoked and daily smokers.
"Cigarette smoking
might simply be a 'marker' for other underlying factors, such as non-conformity
and high risk taking, that contribute to poorer performance in the military,"
they explain.
So what do you say smokers. Are you the poor workers this study paints or are the researchers getting it wrong.
Share your opinions why you think smoker are or are not poor workers. Post your answer to this post.