A new study suggests that employers who want their workers to quit smoking might want to consider paying them to kick the habit.

Recent research indicates that out of the 20-percent of the U.S. population that smokes, only about 3 percent per year successfully quit the sticks.

The new study tracked 878 employees at General Electric Co. from across the country for a year and a half. The participants on average smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day. The participants were divided into two equal sized groups, and each were given smoking cessation information.

But one group was also offered cash. Those participants were given $100 for completing a smoking cessation class, $250 if they stopped smoking within six months and $400 if they remained smoke free for an additional six months.

About 15 percent of the group paid to stop smoking stayed on the wagon, compared to 5 percent of the other group.

The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.