Nomura's smoking ban leads to less staff lighting up
Nomura's drive to cut the smoking rate among its staff is bearing fruit, pushing the firm closer to its goal of improving health among its employees.
Close to 15% of staff at Japan's largest brokerage were smokers in the fiscal year ended March 2024, down from 21.4% as of March 2018, according to an investor presentation that included details on its other health management initiatives. Nomura, which has more than 14,000 employees in Japan, had set a target to reduce the smoking rate to 12% by March 2026.
Nomura's health and productivity management goals for staff include promoting walking habits. It has also introduced subsidies for egg-freezing services starting in April, to give female employees more options to plan their lives and careers, the firm said in its presentation.
The firm, which has been providing financial aid since 2017 to help workers quit smoking, asked staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 not to smoke while working, even at home. However, the rules were based on mutual trust and didn't include a punitive clause. It also removed smoking rooms from its offices, and encouraged staff who light up during their lunch break not to return to the office within 45 minutes of smoking.
The lower smoking rate at Nomura reflects a larger national decline in Japan and other developed markets, as people become more aware about health risks linked with cigarettes.
The government aims to have only 12% of people age 20 or older still smoke by 2033, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare website. More than 15% of Japanese adults were smokers as of 2024, according to a survey by the ministry last year.
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