A Guide to Supporting Heart Health at Work

How to Prepare Your Workplace for Heart Month: A Guide to Supporting Heart Health at Work

February is Heart Month, an initiative by the British Heart Foundation dedicated to raising awareness of heart conditions, how we can make lifestyle changes to protect our hearts, and the importance of life-saving skills like CPR.  As we spend a significant portion of our lives in the workplace, it makes sense to focus on creating an environment that encourages healthy habits and supports employees’ heart health.

Heart Month is a great opportunity to make your workplace a healthier, more heart-conscious environment. By raising awareness, offering support, and promoting healthy habits, you can help your employees take care of their hearts—and make a lasting impact on their overall well-being.

FACT!  Did you know that every three minutes, a heart or circulatory condition claims a life in the UK?

Here are some simple yet effective ways you can prepare your workplace for Heart Month and help promote heart health for everyone in the office.

1. Start with Education: Host Heart Health Seminars and Workshops

Education is key to preventing heart disease. Consider inviting a health expert, such as a cardiologist or a nutritionist, to host a seminar or workshop on heart health. Topics could include managing stress, understanding cholesterol, the importance of physical activity, and the role of a balanced diet in maintaining heart health.

You can also provide employees with brochures, articles, or links to online resources that explain how to spot the signs of heart disease and what steps they can take to reduce their risk.

2. Encourage Healthy Eating in the Office

Healthy eating plays a significant role in heart health. To promote healthy eating habits, offer heart-healthy snacks in the office, such as fresh fruit, nuts, or whole grain options. You could even have a ‘Heart-Healthy Snack Day’ where employees are encouraged to bring in their favourite nutritious snacks to share.

If your workplace has a canteen, try collaborating with the caterers to offer heart-healthy meals during Heart Month. You can also include signage around the office with tips on making better food choices, such as cutting down on salt and sugar and eating more fibre-rich foods.

3. Get Active: Organise a Step Challenge

Physical activity is one of the most effective ways to maintain a healthy heart. Heart Month provides a perfect opportunity to launch a friendly competition, such as a step challenge, where employees can track their daily steps using fitness apps or pedometers.

Encourage employees to take the stairs instead of the lift or to go for a brisk walk during their lunch break. Organising group walks or short fitness classes during lunch breaks can also promote movement and camaraderie.

4. Focus on Mental Well-Being: Stress Management Workshops

Stress is a major contributor to heart disease, so it’s essential to address mental well-being in the workplace. Host workshops or lunch-and-learns focused on stress management, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques. Offer practical tools that employees can use to cope with stress, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, or time management tips.

You can also provide a quiet space in the office where employees can take a break, practice mindfulness, or simply unwind for a few minutes. A calm and supportive work environment is key to reducing stress and supporting heart health.

5. Create Heart Health Awareness with Visuals

Visual reminders can help reinforce the importance of heart health throughout the office. Hang up posters and infographics about heart disease prevention, healthy eating tips, and the benefits of physical activity. Use these visuals as conversation starters and encourage employees to think about their own heart health.

Additionally, you could create a Heart Month bulletin board where employees can share their personal heart health goals, recipes, or tips for staying active. It’s a simple way to build a sense of community and mutual support.

6. Provide Wellness Resources and Incentives

To further support your employees, offer resources that promote long-term heart health. Consider offering discounts on gym memberships, sponsoring fitness classes, or giving employees access to online wellness platforms with heart health resources.

Incentivise participation by offering rewards or prizes for employees who attend workshops, complete challenges, or take part in heart-health activities. This can encourage more people to get involved and stay motivated.

7. Lead by Example: Encourage Senior Leadership to Participate

Leadership plays an important role in setting the tone for the rest of the workplace. Encourage senior leadership to take part in Heart Month activities. Whether it’s participating in a walk, attending a seminar, or simply leading by example with healthy habits, their involvement will inspire others to take heart health seriously.

A visible commitment from leadership can show that the company values employee health and well-being, making it more likely that everyone will feel motivated to take part in Heart Month initiatives.

8. Promote Regular Health Screenings

While we’re all familiar with annual physicals, many people may not regularly monitor their heart health through blood pressure or cholesterol checks. Use Heart Month as an opportunity to encourage employees to get regular health screenings.

You could offer on-site health screenings or partner with a local clinic to provide discounted services to your team. Make sure employees are aware of the benefits of knowing their numbers—blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar—and how these can influence heart health.

9. Build a Supportive Community

Heart disease can be overwhelming, but when people work together, they can feel empowered to make a difference. Foster a supportive environment in the office by creating a heart health challenge where teams or departments can work together to achieve heart-healthy goals.

Having a team of people with the same health objectives creates accountability and encourages mutual encouragement. It’s also a way to bring employees closer and build a sense of camaraderie in the office.

10. Equip your workplace

Having a life-saving defribrillator on-site can make all the difference in an emergency, improving survival rates and ensuring fast, effective response when every second counts.

Want to make sure your staff are fully prepared for a cardiac emergency? Abacus Training can provide First Aid Training Courses to help your team gain life-saving skills like CPR and defibrillator use.

FACT: A victim of cardiac arrest is three times more likely to survive if they receive early defibrillation and for every minute that passes chances of survival reduce by 7-10%.

11. Support Charitable Causes

Finally, why not take the opportunity to raise awareness and support for heart health charities during February? Consider holding a fundraiser or donation drive for heart disease research, or encourage employees to participate in local events, such as charity runs or walks, that raise money for heart health causes.

It’s a powerful way to give back to the community and to show that your workplace cares about improving heart health on a broader scale.

 

Remember, small changes can lead to big results. Whether it’s a step challenge, a healthy lunch initiative, or just taking the time to educate your team, every effort counts towards improving heart health. Let’s work together this February to build a stronger, healthier workplace!