diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index de3542dee..dfad9a49a 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -19479,6 +19479,7 @@
         "@opentelemetry/core": "^1.19.0",
         "@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc": "^0.46.0",
         "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.46.0",
+        "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base": "^1.19.0",
         "@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions": "^1.19.0",
         "@temporalio/activity": "file:../activity",
         "@temporalio/client": "file:../client",
@@ -21723,6 +21724,7 @@
         "@opentelemetry/core": "^1.19.0",
         "@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc": "^0.46.0",
         "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.46.0",
+        "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base": "^1.19.0",
         "@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions": "^1.19.0",
         "@temporalio/activity": "file:../activity",
         "@temporalio/client": "file:../client",
diff --git a/packages/interceptors-opentelemetry/src/instrumentation.ts b/packages/interceptors-opentelemetry/src/instrumentation.ts
index 833a16955..1df417b34 100644
--- a/packages/interceptors-opentelemetry/src/instrumentation.ts
+++ b/packages/interceptors-opentelemetry/src/instrumentation.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ async function wrapWithSpan<T>(
     return ret;
   } catch (err: any) {
     if (acceptableErrors === undefined || !acceptableErrors(err)) {
-      span.setStatus({ code: otel.SpanStatusCode.ERROR });
+      span.setStatus({ code: otel.SpanStatusCode.ERROR, message: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err) });
       span.recordException(err);
     } else {
       span.setStatus({ code: otel.SpanStatusCode.OK });
diff --git a/packages/test/package.json b/packages/test/package.json
index b2424c022..044a46c7e 100644
--- a/packages/test/package.json
+++ b/packages/test/package.json
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
     "@opentelemetry/core": "^1.19.0",
     "@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc": "^0.46.0",
     "@opentelemetry/sdk-node": "^0.46.0",
+    "@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base": "^1.19.0",
     "@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions": "^1.19.0",
     "@temporalio/activity": "file:../activity",
     "@temporalio/client": "file:../client",
diff --git a/packages/test/src/test-otel.ts b/packages/test/src/test-otel.ts
index 8eaeb46a6..b87925de0 100644
--- a/packages/test/src/test-otel.ts
+++ b/packages/test/src/test-otel.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,13 @@ import { SpanStatusCode } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { ExportResultCode } from '@opentelemetry/core';
 import { OTLPTraceExporter } from '@opentelemetry/exporter-trace-otlp-grpc';
 import * as opentelemetry from '@opentelemetry/sdk-node';
+import { BasicTracerProvider, InMemorySpanExporter, SimpleSpanProcessor } from '@opentelemetry/sdk-trace-base';
 import { SemanticResourceAttributes } from '@opentelemetry/semantic-conventions';
 import test from 'ava';
 import { v4 as uuid4 } from 'uuid';
 import { Connection, WorkflowClient } from '@temporalio/client';
 import { OpenTelemetryWorkflowClientInterceptor } from '@temporalio/interceptors-opentelemetry/lib/client';
+import { instrument } from '@temporalio/interceptors-opentelemetry/lib/instrumentation';
 import {
   makeWorkflowExporter,
   OpenTelemetryActivityInboundInterceptor,
@@ -413,4 +415,37 @@ if (RUN_INTEGRATION_TESTS) {
     // Importing the otel workflow modules above should patch globalThis
     t.falsy((globalThis as any).window);
   });
+
+  test('instrumentation: Error status includes message and records exception', async (t) => {
+    const memoryExporter = new InMemorySpanExporter();
+    const provider = new BasicTracerProvider();
+    provider.addSpanProcessor(new SimpleSpanProcessor(memoryExporter));
+    provider.register();
+    const tracer = provider.getTracer('test-error-tracer');
+
+    const errorMessage = 'Test error message';
+
+    await t.throwsAsync(
+      instrument({
+        tracer,
+        spanName: 'test-error-span',
+        fn: async () => {
+          throw new Error(errorMessage);
+        },
+      }),
+      { message: errorMessage }
+    );
+
+    const spans = memoryExporter.getFinishedSpans();
+    t.is(spans.length, 1);
+
+    const span = spans[0];
+
+    t.is(span.status.code, SpanStatusCode.ERROR);
+
+    t.is(span.status.message, errorMessage);
+
+    const exceptionEvents = span.events.filter((event) => event.name === 'exception');
+    t.is(exceptionEvents.length, 1);
+  });
 }