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Heart-tugging messages & cliches are nice on Valentine’s Day but if you want to share the love with your employees love, encourage them to look after their hearts.
The global pandemic forced people to address their health habits. Due to the respiratory nature of COVID-19, heart health came into sharp focus.
Around 7.6 million people live with heart and circulatory diseases in the UK. The cost of heart-related issues to the UK economy (including premature death, disability, and informal costs) is estimated to be £19 billion.
Unfortunately, some heart diseases risk factors, like age and family history, can’t be controlled, but other risk factors and lifestyle choices can be.
Risk factors include:
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking
• Stress and long working hours
Ways to support healthy heart routines in the office
Small health tips and nudges can greatly help your employees’ heart health. Here are some actions you can take to help your teams reduce their risk of heart disease both on and off the job.
Get those Zzzs
Poor sleep and chronic sleep deprivation have detrimental long-term effects on the heart.
Not getting the requisite amount of zzz’s each night can dramatically increase your employees’ chance of coronary heart disease.
Motivating your team to implement better habits when it’s time for bed improves their heart health and allows your business to thrive with a recharged employee.
Sweat it out
Being physically active is key to maintaining a healthy weight and lowering coronary heart disease risk.
Encourage your employees to make an activity a part of their daily routine, whether it’s lunchtime workouts, walking meetings, or dedicated gym time.
The dangers of smoking are no secret
Getting your workforce to ditch smoking can do wonders for their health. Provide your team with the necessary support and coaching services to help guide them through the process.
The first few weeks and months will be challenging, but providing constant support and encouragement and highlighting the long-term heart health benefits can go a long way.
In the Virgin Pulse platform, you can create digital challenges for your employees to get involved in. They’ll receive daily reminders and tips focused on quitting smoking, which means less work for you!
You are what you eat
And if your team wants a healthier heart, a cleaner diet is the way to go.
Increased heart disease has long held a link with saturated fats. Avoiding or getting rid of them altogether can do wonders for your team’s ticker.
Help your employees create balanced eating habits by giving them access to tips and resources, digital tools to support their nutrition goals, and nutrition experts who can coach them on a plan to improve their health.
Focus on a good work/life balance
As well as lifestyle factors, increased working hours play a significant role in heart disease.
Studies have indicated that long working hours led to 745,000 deaths from ischemic heart disease and stroke in 2016, a 29 percent increase since 2000.
With working patterns and hours fluctuating during the pandemic, putting a robust work/life balance plan for your workplace can make a world of difference for their heart’s wellbeing.
How a healthy heart impacts the workplace
By helping your employees take care of their heart and blood pressure, you’ll:
- Reduce complications
- Reduce health risks
- Boost productivity
- Reduce presenteeism
- Improve employee job satisfaction
Save your teams’ heartbreak and discover how to help your workplace have a healthy heart. Talk to an expert at Virgin Pulse to get you started.