One sixth of Danish public employees banned from smoking – even when working at home

More and more municipalities going smoke-free

In the past five years, 15 Danish municipalities have adopted comprehensive smoke-free policies in public workplaces to the extent they are banning employees from lighting up if they are working at home!

These 15 municipalities totally prohibit the use of tobacco during working hours, inside or outside the office. This could include attending classes and working from home.

Nevertheless, while most public employees (at the 83 other municipalities) are not allowed to smoke anywhere in the workplace, they are still offered smoke breaks.

“I think you have to be very careful when introducing smoke-free working hours,” Mads Samsing from the workers’ union HK told Politiken.

“What comes next? Will employers also interfere in what employees eat or how much they sleep at night?”

Healthier
The ban currently affects over 85,000 employees, according to Politiken. Three more municipalities are scheduled to introduce total smoking bans during working hours in 2018, according to Kræftens Bekæmpelse, the Danish cancer society.

READ MORE: Ban on smoking in cars pointless, says cancer society

According to the society, 68 percent of all smokers want to quit, and comprehensive bans help them stick to their decision. It also provides a healthier working environment and the opportunity for a new and healthier break culture.




Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.


  • “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    “It’s possible to lead even though you don’t fit the traditional leadership mold”

    Describing herself as a “DEI poster child,” being queer, neurodivergent and an international in Denmark didn’t stop Laurence Paquette from climbing the infamous corporate ladder to become Marketing Vice President (VP) at Vestas. Arrived in 2006 from Quebec, Laurence Paquette unpacks the implications of exposing your true self at work, in a country that lets little leeway for individuality

  • Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Deal reached to bring more foreign workers to Denmark

    Agreement between unions and employers allows more foreign workers in Denmark under lower salary requirements, with new ID card rules and oversight to prevent social dumping and ensure fair conditions.

  • New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    New association helps international nurses and doctors Denmark

    Kadre Darman was founded this year to support foreign-trained healthcare professionals facing challenges with difficult authorisation processes, visa procedures, and language barriers, aiming to help them find jobs and contribute to Denmark’s healthcare system