Making the leap from smoke-free indoor air to entirely tobacco-free properties is good for employees—and business.

Grange Insurance, a $1 billion insurance and financial services provider based in Columbus, Ohio, has maintained smoke-free indoor air policies in all of its 20-plus locations across 12 states since the mid-1990s. In 2003, the company decided to take things a step further by implementing a policy that prohibits smoking and the use of all tobacco-related products in all company facilities and grounds including leased premises, company vehicles, and company parking areas. The current policy applies to company-owned and leased areas from the roadway to the building including sidewalks. Employees are also prohibited from smoking in their own personal vehicles while on company property.

Why did Grange upgrade its policy? For starters, rising healthcare costs were a concern. What's more, secondhand smoke just plain stinks. Some Grange employees had complaints about being exposed to secondhand smoke when walking through the company's outdoor smoking areas. The tobacco-free policy was also an important part of Grange Insurance's overall commitment to employee wellness.

"We know a lot about secondhand smoke, and we know it's not healthy to allow it on our properties," says Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer, Mark Russell.

In addition to the health risks, employees were concerned about the excessive breaks that smokers would take and about smoking-related litter on the grounds. In one claims office, a small fire ignited from a cigarette that hadn't been properly extinguished.

"We decided it was time to take our properties entirely tobacco-free, inside and out," says Russell. "There were some concerns that the new policy might cause turnover, but we don't know of a single employee who we have lost because of the policy."

In fact, Russell says the employee response has been positive.

"I think the policy has succeeded because of our communication and because of our commitment to support all of our employees," says Russell. "We gave our employees about five months' notice to get used to the changes. We also pay up to $250 per employee and up to $500 per household for prescription and over-the-counter nicotine-cessation therapies such as patches and gums. And we'll pay for any recognized smoking cessation programs that our employees want to attend."

With the policy in effect for over three years now, Grange Insurance is home to more than 1,500 happy employees who no longer have to worry about the health consequences of secondhand smoke. The company was named by Business First as one of the top 10 places to work in Central Ohio in 2005. While Grange can't contribute specific financial benefits to its tobacco-free policy, the company has successfully held its healthcare costs in check over the past few years.

"We care about our employees and we're committed to their health. This policy is just one more way to enhance our wellness program and take care of our people," says Russell.

For more information about Grange Insurance's experience with going tobacco-free, contact Mark Russell at russellmc@grangeinsurance.com.

Click here to learn more about creating your own tobacco-free campus policy. Or click here to read how other employers are successfully addressing tobacco in the workplace.