Office workers at desks in a modern workplace
For HR Managers, Wellbeing teams, and Occupational Health

Chronic paina business risk you can’t see

A 2025 UK review estimates 28 million adults, around 43% of the population, live with chronic pain. Many employees push through quietly; it shows up in energy, focus, absence and retention.

*According to UK chronic pain prevalence data summarised by NHS Digital / ONS

Become an early partnerEstimate your annual impact

Are you a UK employer and want to help shape the programme through a pilot? Get in touch.

The impact is bigger than MSK

Persistent symptoms often sit under the radar; chronic pain, fatigue, IBS and migraine can quietly drain focus and stamina even when people are still showing up.

  • Productivity
    Reduced output and presenteeism often appear before absence is visible.
  • Absence
    Chronic pain and related conditions contribute to recurring and long-term sick leave.
  • Retention risk
    Without early support, persistent symptoms escalate, increasing turnover and replacement costs.
  • Hidden symptoms
    Fatigue, IBS and migraine rarely appear in HR data, but they quietly erode focus and stamina.
A proactive option for employers

Neurowaze is building a persistent symptoms at work programme

Practical, evidence-aligned support for employees living with persistent symptoms, with clearer anonymised insight for employers.

Mind-body, evidence-aligned tools

Education and practices that help employees understand and manage persistent symptoms.

Digital education plus specialist 1:1 support

Optional sessions with verified practitioners experienced in persistent symptoms.

Anonymised insight for employers

Aggregated reporting to reduce guesswork and guide support.

Designed to be lightweight

Simple rollout, clear comms, and a supportive employee experience.

FAQ for employers

The questions we hear most

Clear answers to common concerns from HR, Occupational Health and Wellbeing teams.

Long-term absence is only the visible part. Persistent symptoms more often show up as presenteeism, people still work, but with reduced energy, focus and stamina. Migraine, fatigue and chronic pain can lead to repeated short absences, disrupted sleep and poorer performance long before an employee reaches long-term sick leave.

Neurowaze is designed to support employees earlier, before issues escalate into a bigger people and retention problem.

Hidden work impact estimator

A transparent estimate based on absence and reduced productivity. It does not rely on diagnoses or employee disclosure.

Assumptions used: 220 working days per year, 8 extra absence days per affected employee, and optional presenteeism output loss.

Your inputs

250

Slide to match your headcount. This estimator supports 25 to 5,000 employees.

National data suggest 20 to 40% is a reasonable estimate for many working-age populations.

Estimated annual impact

Estimated employees affected75
Extra absence days (annual)600
Absence cost£95,455
Reduced productivity cost£126,477
Total estimated impact
£221,932

~£888 per employee per year, around 2.5% of payroll.

This is an estimate designed to make the scale visible. It is not a clinical claim and does not rely on individual disclosure.

Enquire about the programme

Want to reduce the persistent part of absence?

Neurowaze works with employers to support employees earlier, before recurring symptoms turn into long-term productivity and retention issues.

Talk to us