Poor work ethics: is it the smoking? or the alcoholism?
“Smokers Take More Sick Leave, Make Poorer Workers.”
So said a Bloomberg headline, reporting what we already knew–smokers are less healthy than non-smokers. A Swedish study found that smokers took an average 34 sick days a year, with 20 taken by those who never smoked. The overall average of 25 days a year far exceeds the United States average of nine.
Let’s assume that the percentage difference is similar in the U.S., and the far higher number of sick days is a result of the disincentive effect of Swedish socialism. Is it really the smoking– or is the smoking an indication of something else that instead may be the underlying cause of less healthy and productive workers?
A study of almost 5,500 women entering the U.S. Navy in 1996 and 1997 found that smokers were more likely to be discharged for medical reasons, bad behavior, misconduct, drug misuse and personality disorders compared to non-smokers. All of these except medical reasons have no direct relation to smoking, which does not cause distortions of perception and memory. Since about a third of smokers in the U.S. are alcoholics, all of the reasons for discharge, including medical reasons, are best explained by alcoholism.
The headline should have read, “Alcoholics Outed by Smoking in Study; They Take More Sick Leave, Make Poorer Workers.” Unfortunately, since addictive drinking is often hidden, we need to rely on inferences. Smoking is one such hint–but it’s a good one.