IWH in the media

Workplace disability support in Canada is growing in volume and complexity, and while organizations are making real progress on accessibility, new tensions are emerging around mental health, remote work and what workers expect from the accommodation process. Sarah Dobson reports on findings from a recent IWH Speaker Series presentation.

A new qualitative study from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) has found that fully remote work has become one of the most contested issues in Canadian workplace disability accommodation, with human resources staff, union representatives and disability managers split on whether it should count as an accommodation at all. Shane Mercer reports on the findings shared at a recent IWH Speaker Series webinar.

A multiple sclerosis diagnosis can arrive just as a career is taking off. But an MS diagnosis does not necessarily mean giving up work. With the right support, adjustments and information, many people can continue to build fulfilling careers. Because people living with MS often say they want to stay in work for all kinds of reasons, from financial security to their own sense of worth. ECTRIMS Community Voices speaks to Dr. Monique Gignac about what people and organizations can do to create more supportive working lives.

Trade workers see a higher rate of musculoskeletal injuries, chronic pain conditions and longer recovery periods, yet most benefits plans weren’t built with these recovery timelines or risk profiles in mind, writes Sadie Jane in an article that cites IWH research on the cost of injury to employers.

Is AI helping these people do their jobs? If so, at what cost to their physical or mental health? Right now, Canada’s labour market information can’t tell us, IWH's Arif Jetha, Mitchell Lane and Faraz Vahid Shahidi write in a commentary about how the Institute is addressing the data gap.

Small businesses that put worker safety strategies and resources in place soon after beginning operation can help “decrease injuries and related burden,” according to a study from the Institute for Work and Health.

The “Keep Your Bits” videos that are part of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board’s latest campaign to promote workplace safety among young adults are meant to be funny — not because the content is light, but to get the attention of young people, says the WSIB. As business reporter Patty Winsa writes, job safety is especially important for young and new workers, who are three times more likely to be injured within their first month of employment compared to experienced workers, according to the Institute for Work and Health.

There has been a rise in the number of Canadian workers going on short-term disability leave of all kinds since the pandemic, and experts say an increase in mental health leave is largely responsible, writes business reporter Estella Ren. Injury and leave data provided by IWH's Dr. Peter Smith help paint the picture.

An article about a Manulife report also references a 2019 study by IWH. It found better workplace conditions are linked not only with lower risks of mental illnesses, but also much improved worker mental health.

In an article on the link between remote work and feelings of isolation and mental distress, reporter Jim Wilson mentions Dr. Kathleen Dobson's work with CSA Group on an estimate of the mental health burden on Canada.