High Health and Productivity Impact of Pain in the Workforce

Newswise — Approximately 30 percent of corporate employees have problems with pain, which are linked to reductions in health, work performance, and productivity, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Led by Harris Allen, Ph.D., of The Harris Allen Group, Brookline, Mass., the researchers performed an Internet survey of more than 1,000 employees of a major U.S. business services company. The study was designed to examine the frequency of pain in the workforce and its impact on employees' health and productivity.

Overall, 29 percent of workers reported ongoing problems with pain. Employees with pain scored more than 45 percent lower on an overall rating of physical health, compared to those without pain. Pain was also linked to a 23 percent reduction in mental health score.

Pain was related to reductions in nearly every aspect of productivity measured—the more severe the pain, the greater its effect on productivity. Workers with pain were five times more likely to report health-related limitations in job performance. On a measure combining absenteeism and "presenteeism"—defined as health problems that are not severe enough to cause absence but still affect work performance—employees with pain lost an average of three and two-thirds work days per month.

Additional questions suggested "considerable room for improvement" in the way employees' pain was being managed. Despite frequent use of pain medications and health care visits, many workers reported dissatisfaction with their current pain treatment.

Pain's impact on health and productivity was particularly extensive for workers with musculoskeletal conditions. Three of the five most common health problems—neck pain, back pain, and arthritis—fell into this category. (Allergies and depression were the other problems in the top five.)

Companies are increasingly aware of the financial impact of employee health—not just direct costs such as health insurance, but also indirect costs such as reduced productivity. Pain reduction has become a useful target for employers seeking ways to increase the health and productivity of their workforce.

The new results suggest that pain is common—reported by nearly one in three employees—and has a major impact on health and productivity. In designing programs to identify and help employees with pain, a focus on musculoskeletal conditions such as spinal pain and arthritis would offer the biggest "bang for the buck," the researchers write. Interventions to target and reduce the burden of pain could provide companies with a chance to create a "win-win" situation: "nurturing a better quality of life for many employees while at the same time promoting a more productive workforce."

ACOEM, an international society of 6,000 occupational physicians and other healthcare professionals, provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments.