Key points for employers and HR leaders:
- Chronic pain is one of the fastest growing and highest impact problems for employers, representing a significant employee health issue that affects both absenteeism and on-the-job productivity
- The mind-body connection plays an integral role in persistent pain and should be part of any comprehensive chronic pain support strategy
- Employees struggling with pain can benefit from evidence-based mental health tools that focus on the mind-body connection, helping them better manage pain and maintain productivity at work
Laura has been preparing for her presentation to the executive team for weeks. Annual reviews are coming up, and she wants to impress company leaders. But when the day finally comes, she doesn’t feel ready but instead distraught. Every joint and muscle in her body is throbbing in pain, and she feels exhausted from getting poor sleep the night before. Staring at her slides, she can’t recall any of the points she wanted to make. Laura is experiencing a flare-up of fibromyalgia, a long-term health condition that causes chronic pain. Although she probably wouldn’t get another opportunity to present, she decides to call in sick. Her chronic pain flare has become an immediate pain and productivity challenge, impacting both her performance and confidence at work.
What is chronic pain, and why is it a major employee health issue?
In simple terms, chronic pain refers to pain that lasts for months, often beyond normal healing time, and can interfere with daily activities—including work tasks, family responsibilities, and social life. Fibromyalgia, arthritis, lower back pain, headaches, migraine attacks, and nerve pain are common types of chronic pain. In contrast to acute pain, chronic pain persists for more than three months and isn’t always associated with an underlying condition. A person with chronic pain may feel limited in their ability to function, whether physically or mentally, and often experiences serious emotional distress, just as Laura did.
For these reasons, chronic pain is often viewed as a condition in its own right, not just a symptom. Nearly one-third of people globally experience chronic pain of some form, making it the top reason people seek healthcare. When that pain follows people into their jobs, it becomes a widespread employee health issue that employers can’t afford to ignore.
A fast-growing, high-impact pain and productivity problem for employers
Clearly, chronic pain is a big problem for employers trying to control healthcare costs, support employee health, and maintain consistent productivity across teams. According to a report of chronic condition trends and impacts from 2021 to 2023, the prevalence of chronic pain increased 19%, and the prevalence of migraine and headaches (listed separately) rose 16.6%.
The study also shows that chronic pain is among the highest impact conditions; people with persistent pain miss an average of 9.2 work days per year, just behind stroke (10.8 work days). People with migraine or headaches miss an average 7.6 work days per year. These missed days represent significant lost productivity, higher replacement costs, and additional strain on coworkers and managers.
Certain workplace environments contribute to the rise in chronic pain:
- High overtime is associated with a 17% higher rate of chronic pain and 13% higher rate of migraine among employees.
- Unmet healthcare needs are associated with a 121% increase in chronic pain among employees and a 78% higher rate of anxiety/depression.
It follows that employers seeking to support employee well-being and control healthcare costs should make workload management and access to healthcare top priorities. Addressing these drivers is a foundational form of workplace chronic pain support that can improve both health outcomes and productivity.
The mind-body connection plays a pivotal role in the pain struggle
But chronic pain isn’t just a result of environmental factors; instead, it’s a complex condition influenced by biological, social, and psychological factors. In fact, research shows that chronic pain and mental health challenges go hand-in-hand, affecting and exacerbating each other. For employers, this means that supporting mental health is also a critical lever for reducing the impact of chronic pain on employees’ performance and engagement. For example:
- People struggling with chronic pain have been shown to have a nearly 4 times higher risk of depression. The more intense the pain, the higher the risk of depression.
- Chronic pain can affect sleep and create stress.
- At the same time, stress can cause pain to flare, as it did in Laura’s case. A prolonged stress response produces inflammation, which in turn makes pain worse, creating a vicious cycle of stress and pain.
The mind-body connection plays an integral role in chronic pain, which means it should play a big part in employers’ workforce well-being strategies. When HR, benefits, and people leaders consider both physical and psychological drivers of pain, they’re better equipped to design integrated support that reduces the burden of chronic pain on employees and the organization.
Strategies for supporting employees with persistent pain and providing chronic pain support at work
Indeed, to support employees with chronic pain, employers can offer a variety of evidence-based strategies and tools that focus on the mind-body connection. These types of digital and behavioral tools can complement medical care and help address chronic pain as both a clinical condition and an ongoing employee health issue. That’s the idea behind Chronic Pain: Insights and Strategies, a new program available on the Calm Health platform developed by Deirdre Logan, PhD. Dr. Logan is the Director of Psychology Services in the Division of Pain Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School.
In the seven sessions that make up the program, listeners gain a better understanding of the purpose of pain and how it works. These insights, combined with practical, research-based strategies, are designed to support employees in managing their chronic pain and living a more comfortable life. For employers, offering this kind of structured chronic pain support can help reduce the impact of pain on day-to-day productivity and overall well-being.
Here’s an overview of a selection of the sessions in Chronic Pain: Insights and Strategies:
Understanding Pain
Listeners learn about the purpose of pain, what’s going on when pain becomes persistent, and how chronic pain can cause additional forms of suffering. They’ll also discover the concept of turning up and down the volume of their pain, which can help them feel more in control at work and at home.
The Mind-Body Connection
Listeners learn about the role of the brain in pain, where stress fits in, and steps they can take to promote better regulation of the nervous system and turn down the volume of pain—skills that can support resilience, focus, and performance on the job.
Focus on Function
When we feel pain, moving the body might seem like the worst thing to do. But moving and functioning can play an important role in mitigating chronic pain, listeners learn. This functional approach can make it easier for employees to participate in work and life, even when pain is present.
Working With Thoughts and Feelings
The negative thoughts that arise with pain only serve to make the pain worse. Listeners learn about different types of negative thinking in response to pain and the importance of reframing their thoughts into more positive ones, which can reduce emotional distress and help them stay engaged in meaningful work.
Dropping the Struggle
For some listeners, the best strategy isn’t working on skills for changing how the brain responds to pain, but instead figuring out how to live the life they want in spite of persistent pain. This session helps listeners apply mindfulness techniques and principles based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to do so, supporting sustainable coping strategies rather than short-term fixes.
Fostering a healthy workplace culture for employees living with chronic pain
In addition to workload management, healthcare access, and strategies for alleviating chronic pain, employers can work to create a workplace culture that elevates workplace well-being. Normalizing chronic pain as a common employee health issue—and making it clear that support is available—can reduce stigma and encourage timely use of benefits and tools. For more ideas, check out the following Calm blogs:
- 5 Ways to Help Employees Cope With Uncertainty About the Future
- 5 Tips to Strengthen Mental Health Literacy in Your Organization
- Are Your Employees Getting Consistent, High-Quality Sleep?
- Calm Launches Stress and Burnout Program by Dr. Aditi Nerurkar
- Is Gratitude the Missing Link in Your Workplace Culture?
