1. Encourage people to move more
One of the biggest things people can do to look after their hearts is to move more. Being more active can reduce the risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases by as much as 35%. But 1 in 3 UK adults don’t meet the NHS’s recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week – especially if they work in sedentary roles at a desk or workstation.
Businesses can help people move more by introducing standing or hybrid desks, normalising standing meetings, and setting up lunchtime walking clubs. They can also challenge people to hit movement figures in terms of miles walked, run or cycled, competing for departmental prizes or raising money for charity.
Any physical activity initiatives need to be led from the top, to it’s vital to engage the leadership team as active ambassadors.
2. Reduce stress levels
Yougov found that more than half of UK workers feel quite or very stressed at work, which can affect both performance and attendance. In fact mental health problems accounted for 7.9% of all absences in 2022.
Stress by itself doesn’t cause heart problems, but it can lead to unhealthy behaviours, stopping people from eating well, resting well, and moving around. It can also raise blood pressure, which is a contributory factor in many heart conditions.
Since the pandemic, businesses are generally much more aware about mental health, with EAPs being one of the most universal health benefits, offered by around 70% of UK businesses. But take-up is low, at around 12% - and more can be done to help workers manage their stress levels. That might look like the introduction of flexible working, training up mental health ambassadors, carrying out risk assessments or updating stress policies.
3. Encourage healthy eating habits
In the UK, more than a quarter of adults are overweight, and it’s thought around 1 in 6 heart and circulatory disease deaths are associated with a high body-mass index. choosing nutritious foods can truly make a significant difference in keeping your heart happy and strong.
Some organisations have things like fruit deliveries to encourage healthy eating, but if that’s not in the budget there’s plenty that can still be done to support employees to make healthy choices.
That might include making sure vending machines have healthy snack options, or more simply ensuring people take their full lunch break away from their desk, so they have time to eat, savour and digest rather than grabbing high-energy options on the go.
4. Support people to give up smoking
The chemicals in cigarette smoke do considerable damage to the lining of coronary arteries, which can block them up or narrow them, putting smokers at more risk of coronary heart disease and heart attack. In fact, smokers are almost twice as likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers.
No one wants to be bullied into giving up cigarettes by their workplace, but businesses can make it easy for those who want to, to find the support they need. Organisations can do things like limit cigarette breaks, signpost to NHS stop smoking services, encourage people to download the quit smoking app, and share information about smoking facts and stats.
5. Spread awareness
In general, spreading awareness about heart health is a really important way that businesses can support employees. That could mean getting involved in the Stroke Association’s Stroke Prevention Day in January, or the British Heart Foundation’s Heart Month in February. Companies can collect their own stories about heart health to share in internal newsletters and on intranets, encourage fund raising, and put posters and leaflets up around the building.
Believe it or not, lots of people ignore the signs and symptoms of heart problems – including things like strokes and heart attacks, which for instance can look very different in women than in men. Great resources to remind people and spread the word include the government’s Stroke Act FAST poster and Heart attack campaign posters, and the leaflets about being heart healthy from the British Heart Foundation, covering healthy eating, cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure and smoking.
6. Train first aiders
If businesses want to get really serious about heart health, it’s time to update training for first aiders, and open up CPR training to the wider team. Companies can book a first aid training course with St John’s ambulance, or go digital with the British Heart Foundation’s free online CPR training course called RevivR.
7. Install a defibrillator
Defibrillators, or Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are machines that deliver a high energy shock to the heart of anyone in cardiac arrest. Designed to be used by pretty much anyone with little to no experience, they make a huge difference in the event of an emergency. If used within the first 3.5 minutes, they can increase the chances of survival from 5% to as much as 70%
Businesses can find out more about how to buy and install their very own on-site defibrillator through the British Heart Foundation or St John’s Ambulance.
8. Make accommodations
Many businesses will have employees with cardiovascular diseases – and will be required to make reasonable adjustments for them under the Equality Act 2010. That could mean being mindful of reduced stamina, cutting hours or physical duties, changing shifts, or accommodating time off for hospital appointments. Risk assessments and contingency planning is key, and organisations should also be updating their policies, training for line managers, and first aid protocols.
9. Get tested
Another way to protect employees’ hearts is to actually get them checked out. Many people have no idea they’re at risk or have no symptoms or signs that something could be going wrong.
At Bluecrest Wellness, our health assessments include tests for stroke and heart disease risk, covering things like cholesterol levels, diabetes and blood pressure – all factors which contribute to various heart and circulatory conditions. We also do an ECG, which can spot things like arterial fibrillation – an irregular heartbeat.
Finding potential issues early and getting the right treatment can genuinely save lives – as Peter, from Sutton Coldfield, found out last year. He was fit and active, and only decided to go for a health assessment because he could never get through to his GP. He explains: “My results report came back with some red and amber flags on it - and they were all around my heart health. Well I was blown away. I had no idea!”
Peter went to get the results checked out, and discovered he had a serious heart condition. Since then, he’s had his mitral valve replaced, his aortic valve replaced, a cardiac ablation, a heart bypass and a pacemaker fitted.
“I got the full works,” confirms Peter. “Frankly, I think I’m very lucky they got to me when they did. There’s not a doubt in my mind that Bluecrest Wellness saved my life.”
Find out more about how Bluecrest Wellness could help keep hearts healthy at work by get in touch with our team today.
Email: businessdevelopment@bluecrestwellness.com Phone: 01903 253177
