OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the impact of persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain on Rolls-Royce employees, including work ability (WA), sickness absence and emotional well-being. Employee perceptions of workplace culture were also examined.

METHODS: Data from Rolls-Royce employees were collected via an online cross-sectional survey conducted in the United Kingdom in 2021 (response rate = 5.60%). Two groups (based on self-reported experience of persistent MSK pain/no pain) were compared using weighted regression analysis with Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighting controlling for confounding variables such as age and sex. Outcome variables included number of sickness absence days and ratings of overall WA (from 0-10), WA with respect to the physical/psychological demands of work and anxiety/depression experienced over the past month. The impact of different types of MSK pain (joint, back, neck, tendon or muscle pain) was also investigated by comparing employees with and without each type of pain.

RESULTS: Employees with pain (n=298, 78% male) vs without pain (n= 329, 75% male) took significantly more days off work in the past 3 months due to pain (3.9 vs 0.5 days, p<0.01), reported significantly lower WA overall (8.1 vs 9.0, p<0.001) and with respect to the physical demands of work with 41% (vs. 72%) providing a rating of ‘very good’ (p<0.001). In total, 56% of employees with pain had not told their managers about their pain; with 30% of these feeling uncomfortable doing so, and 19% feeling that they did not have sufficient support at work for their pain.

CONCLUSIONS: The finding that persistent MSK pain had a significant impact on sickness absence and WA, but was underreported, highlights the importance of going beyond occupational health provision to create a workplace culture that encourages employees to disclose their work-relevant pain, enabling organisations to consider improved, tailored support for their employees.