The Cost of Pain and Lost Productivity in the Workplace

Though, as a nation, our labor productivity has been on a consistent rise over the last several decades, we still face issues in our day-to-day productivity that have yet to be addressed, especially when it comes to workplace-related fatigue and pain.

The Journal of American Medical Association reported that nearly 13% of workers are experiencing pain that impacts their productivity, and the majority of the lost productive time, around 77%, was explained by reduced performance while at work, not work absence.

How do we address those issues with not just the numbers and bottom line in mind, but workers? What do solutions look like that address workplace productivity, regardless of workflow?

We were joined on this video episode of the Building Management Podcast by Bryce Betteridge, CEO of SmartCells USA, a company that provides patented cushion technology for workers to reduce pain, increase performance and prevent injuries.

Betteridge pulls from timely and storied examples of this technology at work to break down…

  • What the ergonomic trends in the workplace have been over the last several decades
  • What these trends and productivity studies say about the current workplace and workplace needs
  • How pain at work impacts quality of work, quality of life, and businesses’ bottom lines
  • Why Betteridge and his team landed on the firm-but-flexible design for SmartCells technology
  • How SmartCells technology is being rolled out during the COVID-19 pandemic

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Building Management Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

home
Delivering Moments That Matter: The Art of Joy, Memory, and Meaning at Anthropologie Home
January 8, 2026

These days, ‘home’ means more than just four walls. It’s where people reset, gather, and express who they are—raising the bar for what they expect from the brands that help shape those spaces. Consumers are no longer just buying décor—they’re investing in meaning, memory, and moments that last. Research continues to show that people…

Read More
Texas energy
Small Margins, Big Risks: How Fraud Hurts Texas Energy Retailers
January 6, 2026

Fraud has quietly become one of the most existential threats in Texas’s deregulated retail electricity market—because the business runs on razor-thin margins and delayed payment. Under the non-POR system overseen by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), retail energy providers assume the full risk of nonpayment. With profit margins often measured in just a…

Read More
learning
From 30 to 1,500 Students: Scaling Mass Experiential Learning with How to Change the World
January 5, 2026

Higher education is at a crossroads. Institutions are being asked to do more with less—serve more students, prepare them for a rapidly changing, AI-shaped workforce, and prove the real-world value of a degree—all at the same time. Employers consistently note that while graduates are technically capable, many struggle to apply what they’ve learned to…

Read More
What the Future Looks Like if We Get It Right
What the Future Looks Like if We Get It Right
December 30, 2025

As the Patient Monitoring series concludes, the conversation shifts from today’s challenges to tomorrow’s possibilities. This final episode of the five-part Health and Life Sciences at the Edge series looks ahead to what healthcare could become if patient monitoring gets it right. Intel’s Kaeli Tully is joined by Sudha Yellapantula, Senior Researcher at Medical…

Read More