Stress at work is detrimental to more than just your mental health, particularly
for males. While it has long been known that job stress can have an adverse
effect on employees' psychological and physical health, a recent study has
discovered that it actually raises men's risk for heart disease.
Heavy workloads, pressed deadlines, and cultures that limit employee
autonomy are examples of workplace stressors that are severe enough to
compromise employees' cardiovascular health.
The condition known as "effort-reward imbalance," which results from
exerting effort in a situation where you don't feel suitably rewarded, has grave
detrimental implications on heart health.
Employees who put a lot of effort into their work may feel that the rewards
they receive, such as pay, recognition, or job security, are insufficient or
inadequate in comparison, according to lead study author Mathilde Lavigne-
Robichaud, a population health doctoral candidate at CHU de Quebec-
University Laval Research Center.
According to a study published on Tuesday in the American Heart Association
journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, male employees
who reported either workplace stress or an effort-reward imbalance were 49%
more likely to have heart disease than men who did not encounter such
stressors.
Compared to males who did not encounter the two stresses concurrently, men
in both occupational situations had a twofold increased risk of developing
heart disease.
related to obesity is job stress
According to study, the detrimental consequences of workplace stress and an
unbalanced effort-reward system at work are about similar to the effects of
obesity on the risk of coronary heart disease.
According to Lavigne-Robichaud, "Knowing the link between work stressors
and cardiovascular health is crucial for public health and workforce well-being
given the significant amount of time people spend at work." "Our study
emphasizes the urgent need to address stressful working environments
proactively in order to create healthier work environments that benefit
employees and employers," the authors write.
One of the rare studies that addresses the combined effects of job stress and
other unfavorable job characteristics, such as poor pay or little to no flexibility,
is this one.
According to her, "job strain refers to work settings where employees deal
with a combination of high job demands and limited control over their work."
Between 2000 and 2018, researchers monitored more than 6,400 Canadian
white-collar employees with an average age of 45 who were free of
cardiovascular disease. Workplace stress and effort-reward imbalance were
examined in relation to the prevalence of heart disease. The study discovered
that results among women were inconclusive.