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Dr. Kirath Sidhu
For HR, OHS & Benefits Leads

Workplace smoking cessation that produces actual abstinence — not engagement metrics.

A doctor-led, cohort-based programme for cigarettes, vape, shisha and midwakh. Built around the design choices that separate effective workplace cessation from box-ticking — and measured against biochemically verified outcomes at six and twelve months.

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ROI per successful quit
US$3,800 – $6,000
in absenteeism, productive time and healthcare costs avoided — per quit, per year.
A programme that moves five smokers in a workforce of fifty pays back in Year 1.
Where the costs compound

A smoker costs an employer materially more than a non-smoker — through three measurable channels.

Most procurement teams under-estimate the case. The published US estimates cluster in a clear range, and even discounting for jurisdictional differences, the ROI on a successful quit is substantial.

Channel 01
Higher absenteeism
Smokers take roughly three more sick days per year on average than non-smokers — across multiple employer studies.
Channel 02
Lost productive time
Smoke breaks compound to roughly 30 minutes of productive time lost per day, per smoker. The time itself is the cost.
Channel 03
Healthcare claims
Higher cardiovascular and respiratory claims, year on year — and the gap widens with each successive policy renewal.
Per successful quit, per year
US$3,800 – $6,000
in measurable savings to the employer.
The cost of running a good programme is barely different from the cost of running a bad one. The difference is design discipline, not budget.
What good looks like

Six design choices separate effective programmes from box-ticking.

Every choice on this list is well-evidenced. Most workplace programmes implement two or three. The ones that move outcomes implement all six in the same room at the same time.

01

Run it as a cohort, not a leaflet

Cessation is a behavioural intervention. Behavioural interventions need a structure, a deadline, and other people. Time-bounded cohorts harness the social environment instead of fighting it.

02

Cover all forms of nicotine

In 2026 your workforce is not predominantly cigarette smokers. Vape, shisha, midwakh and dokha are the dominant patterns in different cohorts. A programme that addresses only cigarettes excludes the people most likely to engage.

03

Combination NRT — actually paid for

The single highest-leverage clinical lever is combination nicotine replacement therapy at the right dose, for at least eight weeks. The Cochrane evidence is unusually robust. Underfunding it leaves most of the effect on the table.

04

Behavioural support beyond month one

Most quit attempts don't fail in week one. They fail in weeks 4–12 — exactly when most programmes have quietly ended. Structured behavioural support that runs for at least 8 weeks is the most under-used tool in workplace cessation.

05

Doctor at the centre — for credibility

Employees take medical authority seriously in a way they don't take HR authority. A medically-led programme attracts and retains participants at materially higher rates, even when day-to-day delivery is by trained coaches.

06

Measure outcomes, not engagement

The number of clicks on a wellness portal is not a measure of cessation. The only measure that matters is biochemically verified abstinence at six and twelve months. If a programme isn't designed to produce that data, it's wellness theatre.

What we deliver

A programme shaped around the six principles — sized to your site or business unit.

A workable shape for 20–30 participating employees, suitable for an SME or a single site of a larger employer. Scoped up or down for larger populations.

Pre-launch · 2 weeks

Internal communications and baseline assessment

Voluntary registration with confidentiality protections. Baseline assessment for each registrant covering all nicotine sources. GP / treating-doctor sign-off where required.

Quit Day

Live group session and NRT distribution

A single live cohort session, timed for a Monday morning. Combination NRT supplied at the right dose for the next eight weeks.

Weeks 1 – 8

Weekly cohort sessions and asynchronous support

Weekly 60-minute cohort calls, mostly group with one-to-one slots for those who need them. Closed messaging channel for between-session support. Combination NRT supplied throughout.

Weeks 9 – 12

Taper and relapse-prevention planning

Sessions taper to fortnightly. A focused "what's at risk in the next 30 days" planning session for each participant.

Months 6 & 12

Biochemical verification and outcome reporting

Follow-up with biochemical verification of abstinence (CO breath testing is cheap and fast). Outcome data and projected healthcare savings reported back to the employer in a format finance and procurement can use.

A well-designed programme produces

Outcomes that justify the investment — repeatedly.

5 – 10×
the unaided abstinence rate at six months
25 – 35%
biochemically verified abstinence in motivated cohorts
8 weeks
the minimum cohort + behavioural support that works

Outcomes are reported in a format your finance team can defend internally. Once a CFO has seen one credible set of "X smokers stopped, Y in projected savings" numbers, the programme stops being a cost line and becomes an investment.

About the programme lead

Dr Kirath Sidhu — Occupational Health Doctor.

I've spent the last several years working with multinational manufacturers across South-East Asia and the Gulf on workplace health programmes — including smoking cessation, often layered into broader medical surveillance or psychosocial-risk work. The cessation design discipline outlined here is what I've watched separate the programmes that move outcomes from the ones that move only line items.

I lead the programme design, the assessment work, and the pharmacology guidance. Trained coaches handle the day-to-day cohort delivery under that clinical envelope. I return at month three for outcome review, and again at six and twelve months for biochemical verification and employer reporting.

Occupational Health Doctor (DOSH) HRDC Certified Trainer PRISMA 2024 ISO 45003 Certified ASP Medical Group, Penang
For completeness

The patterns that consistently don't work.

If a vendor pitches you any of the following as their core delivery, the polite response is to ask what their published abstinence rates at six months look like. The polite response will end the meeting.

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One-off webinars with no follow-up

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Generic third-party portals with no live human

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"Wellness challenge" framings that treat smoking as equivalent to under-hydration

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Free NRT supplied without behavioural support

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Programmes that quietly end at week 4 — exactly when relapse risk peaks

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Engagement reporting (clicks, registrations) substituted for abstinence data

The reason most programmes underperform isn't that the science is hard. It's that the design discipline is rarely all in the same room at the same time.

Start a conversation

If you're scoping a workplace cessation programme — let's talk.

The first conversation is exploratory. I'll want to understand your workforce shape, what you're already running, and where the gaps are. You'll get a candid view of what a doctor-led programme would look like for your population — and whether it's the right fit at all.

Programme design and pricing are scoped to the population, geography and outcome targets. There is no off-the-shelf SKU.

Programme enquiry

Tell me about your workforce.

I read every enquiry personally and will respond within two working days. Your information stays private and is used only to scope a possible programme conversation.