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

transportation management
Transportation Management Systems Don’t Compete With Carriers, Brokers, or Shippers — They Align Them
February 10, 2026

Transportation management systems are undergoing a quiet but consequential shift. Once viewed primarily as tools for tracking loads and storing paperwork, modern TMS platforms are increasingly expected to function as the operational backbone of logistics organizations. As freight volumes continue to fluctuate, margins remain tight, and supply chains rely on a growing mix of…

Read More
AI adoption strategy
Five by Five Leadership: Why Purpose, Warmth, and Clarity Matter More Than Ever at Work
February 10, 2026

For the first time in history, workplaces now span five generations, forcing leaders to rethink long-standing assumptions about motivation, communication, and career growth. As Gen Z enters the workforce, they bring expectations shaped by a desire for meaningful work, clear development paths, and work-life balance—rather than traditional, one-size-fits-all career ladders. In an era marked…

Read More
Experiential
Scaling Experiential Learning at Slippery Rock University with Dr. John Rindy
February 9, 2026

Regional public universities are being asked to do more with fewer students, fewer dollars, and less margin for error—making student persistence, timely graduation, and career outcomes central institutional concerns. Under mounting enrollment pressure and a shifting labor market, experiential learning has moved from a “nice to have” to a strategic imperative. Research consistently shows…

Read More
data center workforce
The Next Data Center Bottleneck Isn’t Power or Cooling — It’s People: The Data Center Workforce
February 8, 2026

With the rapid rise of AI workloads, data centers are being built with higher power density, stricter reliability expectations, and cooling technologies that are evolving faster than most teams can adapt. As a result, these facilities aren’t just getting bigger—they’re becoming harder to operate, harder to staff, and far less forgiving when something goes…

Read More