Workplace stress, lack of purpose can lead to chronic illnesses, Louisville research shows

Toxic or negative workplaces can put workers at higher risk of developing chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease, new research shows.

In the first of its kind, research out of the University of Louisville links work factors — including things like stress, work capacity, the physical and social environment and the meaning found in work — to long-term health.

For the study, Louisville researchers asked 218 Louisville participants to fill out questionnaires about their well-being and how they felt about their work environment. Survey-takers responded with their level of agreement with statements like:

• People often ignore me at work
• At work, I sometimes feel lonely
• I feel like I'm invisible when I'm at work
• I feel isolated from others when I'm at work
• I feel supported at work
• I'm included in informal activities
• I believe the people that I work with appreciate me
• The work I do is meaningful
• I feel safe at work
• The work I do at my job is important
• I am supported by my supervisor
• I have the time I need to do my job well
• I feel supported by my co-workers

Researchers then also analyzed urine samples, resulting in both subjective (the survey) and objective (biological samples) data for their study, which was published in September in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

The results of this analysis showed "a significant and important relationship between how we experience work and quantitative markers of our overall health."

Dr. Brad Shuck, one of the study's authors and an organizational culture researcher at UofL's College of Education and Human Development, said he was surprised "at the magnitude of the findings."

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"One of the things that I think is commonly explored in models of work is ... 'do you climb ladders all day? Are you around toxic chemicals? Are you in ... a physically safe environment?'" Shuck said. "What our research shows is that there are social and cultural factors about how work feels, and it's not just about how much work you do, but how you do that work and how that work gets done around you, that then impacts your risk for chronic disease."

Dr. Rachel Keith, another researcher and a faculty member in the UofL School of Medicine, said this research also allows employers to think about driving down their health costs by being more inclusive and better to workers, but also lets employees start thinking about how their stress now could manifest down the road.

There's this idea, she said, that one can leave stress at work, that it can stop at the door. But: "You can't feel your arteries harden. You can't feel it," said Keith. "Then you have a heart attack and you're like, 'oh my gosh, what do I do?' You're 10 years too late. This took 10 years to get there."

Stress impacts the immediate as well, Shuck added, through things like sleep or eating habits. And too often companies work to offer breaks from but not solutions to the stress, he said. Things like a gym on-site or an employee assistance program may help momentarily, but they do nothing to solve the workplace issues determining long-term, poor health outcomes.

"There's this dysfunctional cycle of wellness that organizations have bought into and the assumption has been for a very long time, 'listen, if you have diabetes or hypertension or heart disease, that's something you need to go manage ... here's the tools, go manage this. Here's your insurance. Here's the (employee assistance program), here's all the things that you need,'" Shuck said. "And now ... what we're saying is, work could be a contributing factor to that chronic state."

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Shuck and Keith said they hope employers learn from this study that efforts at inclusion and better workplace culture are about more than retention or bottom lines, they're about long-term health and wellness.

Besides, Shuck said: "we know from the research that when you have a good culture, that people perform better, and when people perform better, your profits go up."

Additionally, a kind and inclusive workplace that keeps employees healthy will ultimately cost executives less, he said. Good culture takes time, he acknowledged, and it takes employers asking questions about how much stress is acceptable in the workplace, how to include people, what kind of behaviors will be tolerated, and more.

Organizations that want to learn more and partner with UofL's Office of Research & Innovation can fill out the form at louisville.edu/research/partners/industry-support-request.

"Employees now are empowered in unique and new ways to now make decisions for themselves and health is a part of that conversation," Shuck added. "And if an organization isn't paying attention to that, then they're going to hemorrhage talent ... And those organizations that are paying attention to it will continue to attract that talent."

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Reach health reporter Sarah Ladd at sladd@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ladd_sarah.