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Smoking bonus gives Linda a Big Smoke trip

A £1,000 reward has been claimed after it was offered to encourage smokers at Tees Valley business-to-business telecommunications company Odyssey Systems to give up the habit.

Linda Cairns, who has been with the Stockton firm for 15 years, has become the first member of staff to complete a year without a cigarette.

Mike Odysseas, Managing Director of Odyssey Systems, was so keen to see his team improve their health that he not only offered the reward, he also gave out electronic (e) cigarettes to help them.

Linda, from Redmarshall, said: “Without those e-cigarettes, I doubt I would ever have succeeded in giving up. I have smoked for years and years and tried to quit in the past, but never done so well.”

Linda intends to take her husband, Dezzy, on a trip to London, to visit Camden Town, with the money.

She added: “I have asthma and had suffered an attack just before Christmas 2010. Mike was talking about people giving up smoking and I knew he was making sense, because I was fully aware of the money you can save and the health benefits, so I decided it was time to give it another go.

“Mike gave us e-cigarettes and I bought some myself and they were brilliant, but I don’t use them anymore.”

Odyssey Systems employs more than 30 people from its offices in Lockheed Court, Preston Farm.

Mike said: “I place a huge value on my staff and their health is important to me. When you have great people like Linda working for you, you want that to last as long as possible, so helping her or any of the team to live a healthier, and ultimately longer life is something I take very seriously. As most business managers know, having someone give up smoking also boosts productivity.

“It is great that I have been able to give Linda this £1,000 because she has earned it and I see it as an investment in a great member of staff.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mike Odysseas .