Bad Backs Mean Hundreds of Millions of Missed Work Days Helping your employees take care of their backs is a great way to, well, have their backs. It’s also among the best ways to reduce absenteeism and boost productivity. “It’s highly likely that most Americans – some estimates are as high as 80% – will have low back pain at some point in their lives,” said Dr. Jennifer Chambers, chief medical officer at Capital Blue Cross. “Many factors cause this – an aging population, increases in obesity, more people becoming too sedentary, and even a rise in the ‘weekend warriors’ who sometimes push themselves physically too hard and too fast.”