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Benefits and Pensions MonitorKeep Your Heart PumpingBy: Caroline Tapp-McDougall Angina, arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, heart block, pericarditis, and rheumatic heart disease. What do these words have in common? They are just a few of the many conditions that doctors categorize under ʻheart disease.ʼ Regardless of the specific condition, heart disease can be fatal. In fact, it kills an estimated 75,000 Canadians each year. The Best Defence Because of its chameleon-like characteristics, heart disease cannot be identifi ed by any single symptom. Nevertheless, there are some specifi c symptoms that suggest the possibility of heart disease, thus allowing a medical doctor to diagnose and treat it. Fortunately, heart disease is not only manageable, but preventable. An employeeʼs best defence is a good offence, which means controlling risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, and stress. The main workplace-related cause of heart disease is stress. In certain situations, stress can have a powerful infl uence on employee productivity. Research suggests that employees who feel they have unfair bosses, are in ʻlower-levelʼ jobs, and who put in a lot of overtime are most at risk for experiencing overwhelming amounts of stress. Believing that an employer is unfair is perhaps the single greatest contributor to workplace stress. When an employee feels the boss never appreciates the work, plays favourites, or is constantly piling responsibilities on one person, he or she will become stressed. A 2003 British study on female healthcare assistants found that the stressed worker with an ʻunfairʼ boss has signifi cantly higher blood pressure than someone working under a ʻfairʼ boss. For similar reasons, those in low paying jobs are also at risk. Being at the bottom of the corporate ladder means facing more demands without the necessary tools or controls to manage them. In extreme situations, stress can cause an employee to react in anger, which can further risk their heart health. In a recent study, 29 per cent of offi ce workers admitted to yelling at others in the offi ce and 12 per cent say angry workers have damaged offi ce equipment in bursts of anger. For employees already at risk of heart disease, these outbursts can place further stress on the heart. Extreme anger causes the heart to speed up, arteries to stiffen, and blood pressure to rise.
The Right Choice Employee behaviours outside of the workplace can also increase the risk of heart disease. Fortunately, human resource managers can provide guidance to employees through education and consultation. One negative lifestyle choice is tobacco use. Smoking, or exposure to second-hand smoke, increases a person ʼs risk of developing heart disease. Smoking reduces oxygen in the blood, contributes to plaque build-up in the arteries, increases the risk of blood clots, and increases blood pressure. According to the HSFC, smoking nearly doubles the risk of ischemic stroke. A proper diet also plays a role. Fatty foods with high cholesterol content can be deadly. Employees should be advised to eat properly by choosing from a variety of nutritious foods and creating balanced meals that are moderate in portion size. Canadaʼs Food Guide to Healthy Eating is an excellent resource for employees who need help to improve their diet. Controlling alcohol consumption can also go a long way to lowering the risk factors for heart disease. When it comes to heart health, exercise is just as important as proper nutrition. Exercise is a great way to maintain a healthy weight, reduce high blood pressure, lower blood cholesterol levels, and manage stress. Employees should be encouraged to make exercise a part of their daily lives. In fact, 30 minutes most days of the week is a positive start. Canadaʼs Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living is a good resource. To further motivate employees, some employers have installed a workplace gym. The costs of installing a facility vary, but the benefi ts are enormous. For example, in 1978 Canada Life installed a fi tness centre and then studied its effect on its workforce. Ten years later, it found that regular participants had reduced absenteeism, were more productive, and had higher morale. The company calculated that it realized a $6.85 return on investment for every dollar spent. Heart disease encompasses a broad range of conditions that can have fatal consequences for tens of thousands of Canadian employees each year. Fortunately, it can be managed through education and lifestyle modifi cation. With Canadians increasingly spending the majority of their waking time in the workplace, human resource managers can positively affect employee health by helping employees maintain heart-healthy lifestyles. Caroline Tapp-McDougall is the publisher of Solutions: Canadaʼs Family Guide to Home Health Care and Wellness and the author of The Complete Canadian Eldercare Guide. |
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