HR professionals are the most likely of all working smokers to smoke because they are stressed, rather than addiction or any other reason, according to new research.
More than eight in 10 (83%) HR professionals who smoke reported they smoke more when they are stressed, above those who work in property (77%), law enforcement (75%), management (75%) and social care (72%), a survey by nicotine retailer Haypp showed.
Rachael Mackenzie, director at wellbeing and performance consultancy Workathlete, told HR magazine that lack of control at work, often as a result of high workloads, can be a particular stressor.
She said: “HR professionals often spend so much time and energy ensuring the wellbeing of their employees, that they can neglect focusing on their own health.
“It’s often when workloads appear to be out of hand that people most often reach for their unhealthy coping mechanisms.”
Idris Arshad, head of people at charity Asthma & Lung UK said that dealing with stress ultimately needed to come on a case-by-case, personal level.
Speaking to HR magazine, he said: “There are many ways for HR to deal with stress, but it is all about the individual.
“We are all different in how we understand, cope with, and recover from stress. Ultimately, HR needs to follow the advice it dishes out to others.”
Mackenzie added: “Stress coaching that focuses on understanding the individual can help workers shift away from a reliance on unhealthy coping mechanisms such as smoking, to adopting healthier alternatives. It requires a fundamental shift towards focusing on individuals and their needs, rather than offering a blanket HR policy for stress management.”
Happy also found that, of people who work in HR and smoke, over half (56%) smoke every day.
To learn more about stress and stress-related issues go to stress.org
By Dominic Bernard
