Workplace Disability Benchmarking

Workplace Disability Benchmarking (WDB) is a made-in-Canada initiative that allows employers to measure and compare their organizations’ disability management performance in order to identify best practices and reduce the number, duration and costs of disability claims. WDB allows every participating organization to:

• learn how well its disability management program is doing relative to similar organizations in its sector,
• track how its program is doing internally, year over year,
• determine what impact changes to its disability management practices are having on employee health outcomes and disability costs, and
• join peers and researchers in forums that address disability management issues, best policies and proven practices.

WDB provides participants with scientifically sound and unbiased information on:

• outcomes in short-term disability (STD), long-term disability (LTD), workers’ compensation, casual absence, emergency leave and compassionate care leave,
• disability policies and practices,
• employee and supervisor satisfaction with the disability management process.

WDB is managed by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) in Toronto, Canada, an independent, not-for-profit research organization. IWH’s mission is to conduct and share research that protects and improves the health of working people and is valued by policy-makers, workers and workplaces, clinicians, and health and safety professionals.

WDB is supported by an Advisory Board composed of employer representatives from all sectors participating in the project. WDB has the approval of the Research Ethics Board of the University of Toronto.

Make sure your disability management program is helping employees stay healthy and on the job — and protecting your bottom line at the same time. Join WDB today.

“I was sold on this idea [Workplace Disability Benchmarking] from the outset. This project will enable organizations to benchmark outcomes and measure program effectiveness…. By establishing a baseline, future decision-making will be supported by scientific evidence. This will advance the approach to disability management.” — Charles Bruce, CEO, Nova Scotia Public Service Long Term Disability Trust Fund