Pain is something that we all experience at some point in our lives, but remains an experience that is largely wordless in the workplace. Research from SheSays shows 83% of women and nonbinary people hide their pain, while 62% of people hide their pain in fear of judgment.

To open up conversations around managing pain in the workplace, McCann London is launching a new Pain Pledge, inspired by its long-standing relationship with client Nurofen and the ‘See My Pain’ campaign.

Launching to coincide with Pain Awareness Month, the pledge underlines McCann's commitment to elevating conversations around pain, striving to create an environment of trust by increasing psychological safety.

Redefining pain

The authenticity of the pledge comes from the fact the framework of support it recommends was crafted based on internal conversations via the agency's ‘Atomic Soup’ creative brainstorming sessions and inspired by the See My Pain campaign. See My Pain is built largely on an internal commitment from Nurofen to close the gender pain gap, making real investments as a business to evolve pain conversations and invest in training for medical professionals. It is a journey of understanding and learning built on the pain stories of real women, many of whom were dismissed by their doctors.

McCann London is building upon this work by recognising the impact of pain in the workplace. Pain affects all people but the term ‘pain’ is generic. The pledge strives to normalise pain and make pain more personal.

A panel event at McCann London saw Nicola Kemp, Editorial Director at Creativebrief sit down with Katie Edwards, Global Client Lead at McCann, Mathieu Desbrandes, Marketing Manager for Nurofen at Reckitt and Amy-Jo Fowler, Senior Communications Manager at McCann Worldgroup to discuss how to manage pain in the workplace.

In a healthcare system largely built by men for men, Mathieu Desbrandes, Marketing Manager - Nurofen at Reckitt shared that conversations around pain are often hard to breach as society has a ‘long deep routed bias which is hard to unpick’. For many, the first conversations about the pain they experience in medical facilities are met with negative, dismissive responses. This begins a cycle of stigma that makes discussions around pain difficult.

Amy-Jo Fowler, Senior Communications Manager at McCann Worldgroup, shared her own experience of endometriosis and her 12 year journey to even receive a diagnosis. For her, the doctor's office felt like a ‘combative place’ which led to even more hesitancy to bring up the topic of pain in the workplace. She shares that having a pledge or policy shows an employer's openness to discussion. A commitment which takes some of the vulnerability out of the conversation and allows employees to feel they can bring up the subject and be supported. In this way, the Pain Pledge helps to contribute to a structure that takes the onus off the individual employee.

Creating a culture of empathy

While the Pain Pledge is a step forward in opening up conversations and making employees feel supported, Katie Edwards, Global Client Lead at McCann shared that there is still a way to go. Dismantling a decades-old industry culture of ‘work hard play hard’ and presentism requires a cultural shift. She advocates for a culture of trust and more empathetic leaders who value the quality of the work, not where it is done.

Fowler urges leaders to empower employees to make their own decisions about how they work and trust that individuals know their bodies best. “Free up taboos around asking for help,” she says, “If you’re not supported you can’t progress.”

Edwards underlined that the Pain Pledge is not an excuse for poor performance. Instead, it is a commitment to the agency’s talent and its people. “There is no correlation between people experiencing pain and performance,” says Edwards. The bottom line for business is that making employees come in while they are in pain won’t lead to the most productive work. “We expect high performance and we start from a place of believing each other,” explains Edwards, adding: “Presume that everyone has earned their spot on the team.”

Underlining the importance of empathy and trust, Nurofen is committed to training doctors and pharmacists and advocating for empathy training for medical professionals. “Trust people aren’t trying to play the system or gain some social advantage,” says Desbrandes.

Progress over perfection

McCann London’s Pain Pledge is a commitment to its employees but also ultimately a work in progress that will be shaped by the needs of the individuals within the agency.

Similarly, Desbrandes shares that the See My Pain campaign is a long-term movement. To truly understand the breadth of pain experienced, Nurofen is committed to fully understanding people’s unique experiences. Desbrandes points to the importance of being ‘nimble and humble’, measuring and tracking progress to find new ways to bring in new voices. The campaign is a ‘movement not a moment’, says Kemp.

“Like with all diversity and inclusion, it's about progress over perfection,” says Edwards. She shares that in an industry where we work so closely with one another, sharing personal creative ideas, it is important to get to know each other and trust each other. She advocates for seeing clients as an extension of the team and embraces a learning mindset where setbacks inform future decisions.

See My Pain

For those experiencing pain, Fowler shares the importance of being listened to and supported. She shared that for her, the advice to go to the pain, not through it helped. “You don’t always have to work through,” she explained.

Acknowledging that the workplace isn’t a level playing field and the importance of equity, a culture that acknowledges individuals is the most productive when it comes to pain. For those with inflammatory conditions, stress can exacerbate symptoms of pain. This unnecessary stress causes harm. Fowler shares that reasonable adjustments need to apply to everyone and should benefit the workplace as a whole when they are implemented correctly.

“A great manager balances the what and the how,” adds Desbrandes. He shared that the See My Pain campaign has been met with overwhelmingly positive response. People feel positive when they feel listened to and heard.

Leaving the audiences with the advice to ‘assume positive intent on both sides’, McCann London’s Pain Pledge and Nurofen’s See My Pain campaign bring to life the importance of making the space to listen and learn from others.

In Edwards’ words: “You can't win as a team if you leave people behind”.