Cardiovascular diseases are one of the main factors for premature death in the Western world.
Cardiovascular diseases are often associated with unhealthy lifestyle patterns, and they also include unhealthy workplace relationships. A new study by the American Heart Association has shown that too high expectations at work have a big impact on your heart health. All too many people are affected in the workplace relentless workloads and tight deadlines, while they themselves have little control over them and the decisions as such. This, however, has proven to be very harmful to an individual's health.
A recent study showed that there is a strong connection between this type of stress at work and heart health. Research published in the journal American Heart Association (AHA), Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, reveals an important and troubling connection. The risk of heart disease doubles for individuals who face a high workload and low rewards.
Risk of cardiovascular disease
The lead author of the study, Mathilde Lavigne-Robichaud, RD, MS, a doctoral candidate at the CHU de Quebec-Université Laval Research Center, points out a scenario we are all too familiar with. The expectations of the superiors are high, and the decision-making autonomy is only small. As a result, employees struggle with stress and frustration, which represents additional stress in the workplace.
A big factor here is also the relationship between the effort and the reward. When you put a lot of effort into your work, but the reward (salary, recognition, job security) isn't worth it. Imbalance between effort and reward it is an ideal scenario for stress and dissatisfaction.
The research, which spanned 18 years and included nearly 6,500 Canadian office workers, reveals some more startling findings. Men who said their efforts were not fairly rewarded had a 49 % increased risk of heart disease. The study, however, was unable to analyze such associations in women, but the parameters are assumed to be similar.
