Hidden health risks affecting workforce long before sickness absence

More than eight in 10 UK employees are carrying at least one clinically significant cardiovascular health risk, many without symptoms or any awareness that something is wrong.

Analysis by workplace health screening provider Bluecrest, based on more than 62,000 employee health assessments across 1,469 UK organisations, found that 86 per cent of employees had at least one clinically significant cardiovascular health flag.

The report argues that many of the conditions affecting today’s workforce, including high blood pressure, raised cholesterol and pre-diabetes, often remain undetected until they begin to affect health, attendance and productivity.

Bluecrest’s whitepaper, The Hidden Health Crisis in UK Workplaces, suggests employers are relying too heavily on sickness absence and self-reporting to identify health issues, despite evidence that risk develops years before employees become unwell enough to take time off.

Among employees under 30, almost one in four (24.3 per cent) already carried a cardiovascular red flag, rising to 30.7 per cent among those aged 30 to 39. The report also found younger workers recorded average anxiety and depression scores above the clinical threshold for mild symptoms, suggesting health risks are emerging much earlier than many organisations assume.

The analysis also found health risks vary significantly across sectors. Public sector, security and facilities management, construction, engineering, manufacturing and logistics organisations recorded some of the highest levels of cardiovascular risk, while healthcare employees showed the highest rates of clinical anxiety and depression.

Regional differences were also evident, with employees outside southern England more likely to be flagged for obesity, elevated blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk than those working in the South.

One of the report’s strongest findings relates to blood pressure. More than one in three employees (37.9 per cent) were identified as having raised blood pressure requiring clinical attention, despite hypertension typically having no obvious symptoms.

The report also suggests regular health assessments can encourage employees to take action. Of almost 2,000 employees surveyed after receiving a health assessment, 84 per cent reported making at least one positive lifestyle change, while more than one in five sought NHS or private medical advice after learning about previously unidentified health risks.

Among employees with raised blood pressure at their first assessment, 46.3 per cent had improved by their second assessment, increasing to 48.9 per cent by their third.

Dominique Kent, chief executive officer at Bluecrest, said: “The picture our data reveals is one that should concern every employer in the UK. Eighty-six per cent of your employees are carrying at least one clinically significant cardiovascular health flag. Many of them have no idea. And without intervention, many never will – until something, unfortunately, goes wrong.”

She added: “Most organisations genuinely want to do right by their people. But you can’t act on what you can’t see. For too long, workforce health has been invisible.”

Dr Martin Thornton, chief medical officer at Bluecrest, said: “The most damaging health conditions rarely announce themselves. These are conditions that cause no symptoms in their early stages, such as high blood pressure, chronic inflammation and rising blood glucose.”

He added: “The challenge we face as a society, and as employers, is that our healthcare system is largely built to respond to illness, not to prevent it.”

The report concludes that employers should move towards more proactive health strategies by using regular health assessments, tailoring interventions according to workforce demographics and committing to ongoing monitoring rather than one-off screening initiatives.