How high blood pressure could be impacting your business
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition where the force of blood pushing against the artery is consistently too high.
In the UK, around 31% of men and 26% of women have high blood pressure, according to research from Blood Pressure UK.
Not only does high blood have wide-ranging effects on many areas of a person's health, from cardiovascular health to brain health, but it can also have a real, often under-appreciated impact on businesses. High blood pressure isn’t just a personal health issue, it can be a business risk.
The hidden cost of high blood pressure
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Absenteeism: Employees with uncontrolled high blood pressure may be unable to work due to complications or related illnesses. In fact, Clinfton Ingram found in the UK in 2024 that there were a total of 4.1million working days to heart, blood pressure and circulation problems
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Presenteeism: Reduced productivity from fatigue, headaches, or side effects of medication. Blood pressure is often referred to as ‘silent’ - many people may be working whilst experiencing high blood pressure without any symptoms
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Healthcare costs: Increased insurance premiums and medical claims
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Turnover: Chronic health issues can lead to burnout and early retirement
However, it’s not just the business costs that could be concerning. There’s also the workplace performance impact to consider.
How blood pressure can impact workplace performance
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Cognitive effects: Difficulty concentrating, memory lapses
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Physical symptoms: Fatigue, dizziness, stress-related tension
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Emotional toll: Anxiety and irritability affecting teamwork and morale
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Leadership and decision makers: High blood pressure commonly impacts those in high pressure roles and can impair judgement, decision making and critical thinking
How can employers combat high blood pressure in the workplace?
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The first step to prevention is understanding. Offering your employees preventative health services such as a health assessment can identify whether they are impacted by high blood pressure and empower them to take the next steps required to improve their health
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Reduce high-pressure work environments. This is a large contributor to high blood pressure. Where possible, look to eliminate work with last minute deadlines and discourage long hours
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Train your managers and leaders to recognise the signs of burnout. This could be a sign that an employee is experiencing a high level of stress which may be resulting in high blood pressure.
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Consider what flexibility you can offer your employees in regards to remote or hybrid working
To find out more about how you can support your workforce to manage high blood pressure, read our article here.
High blood pressure may be silent, but its impact on the workforce is anything but. With millions of UK adults affected, high blood pressure poses a serious threat not only to overall employee health and wellbeing but also to business productivity, resilience, and long-term sustainability. The ripple effects are substantial.
Implementing regular health assessments is a powerful step toward early detection, timely intervention, and a culture of prevention.
