The Hidden Costs of Poor Heart Health in the Workplace

When we talk about workplace health, heart disease might not be the first thing that comes to mind. Yet its impact on businesses is staggering, affecting everything from daily productivity to the bottom line. By understanding the hidden costs of poor heart health, organizations can take proactive steps to create a healthier and more productive work environment.

The Scope of the Challenge

Heart disease isn't just a personal health issue—it's a workplace concern that affects both employees and employers. Research shows that work-related factors contribute to about 10-20% of all cardiovascular disease deaths among working-age populations (CDC, 2024). This is a wake-up call for employers. Let's explore why workplace heart health deserves your attention.

Impact on Productivity

Poor heart health can affect workplace productivity in ways you might not expect. Research shows that employees at moderate to high risk of cardiovascular disease have significantly higher rates of both presenteeism (working while unwell) and absenteeism (Kimura et al., 2020). This means your workforce might be present but not performing at their best, or missing work entirely due to heart-related issues.

For example, heart-related fatigue, stress, and complications can limit an employee’s ability to focus and complete tasks efficiently. This can create a ripple effect, placing additional strain on teams and lowering overall organizational performance.

The Financial Reality

Patients with cardiovascular diseases incur more than twice the medical costs compared to those without heart conditions (Kumar et al., 2022). For employers, this translates to higher healthcare costs and reduced productivity. Looking ahead, the American Heart Association projects that annual healthcare costs for cardiovascular conditions will almost quadruple by 2050, reaching $1.49 trillion (American Heart Association, 2024). 

Ten workplace factors contribute significantly to these costs:

1. Long working hours (55+ hours weekly)
2. Non-standard shift work
3. High job demand
4. Low job control
5. Job insecurity
6. Work-family imbalance
7. Workplace unfairness
8. Limited social support
9. Unemployment
10. Lack of health insurance (CDC, 2024)

Employers that fail to invest in preventive health measures risk facing skyrocketing costs and workforce instability.

Taking Action 

The good news? Many heart health risk factors are preventable. Employers can significantly reduce costs and improve workforce efficiency by:

• Implementing workplace wellness programs
• Offering health screenings
• Creating heart-healthy work environments
• Providing stress management resources
• Supporting work-life balance

Ready to protect your workforce and your bottom line? Contact CareATC today to learn how our workplace health solutions can help create a heart-healthy environment for your employees.

References

American Heart Association. (2024, June 4). Forecasting the economic burden of cardiovascular. American Heart Association. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001258

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/heartdisease/about/index.html

Kimura, K., Nagata, T., Ohtani, M., Nagata, M., Kajiki, S., Fujino, Y., & Mori, K. (2020, January). Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases risk associated with the incidence of presenteeism and the costs of presenteeism. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7507530/

Kumar, A., Siddharth, V., Singh, S. I., & Narang, R. (2022, January 5). Cost analysis of treating cardiovascular diseases in a super-specialty hospital. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8730466/