Pain has a significant impact on work in terms of presenteeism, sickness absence, and long-term incapacity for workA bio-psychosocial approach is required in understanding pain-related disability and incapacity for workLong-term absence from work is associated with a number of negative outcomes including; poverty, social exclusion and poorer physical and psychosocial well-beingReturn to work can improve recovery for people with musculoskeletal complaints and painInterventions to reduce the impact of pain on work can operate at clinical, worker, workplace, and wider systems levelsA broader whole systems approach to pain management needs to be adopted, with a greater focus on work retention as well as rehabilitation.