COVID-19
COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. In short order, the world of work changed dramatically in Canada. Non-essential businesses were locked down. Some workers lost their jobs; others were sent home to work. Essential businesses kept going. Despite protections, workers in sectors ranging from health care to transportation to food production and retail faced risk of infection, illness and even death. IWH researchers are looking at the impact of the pandemic on workers and workplaces, and what it means going forward.
Featured
At Work article
What can work-related COVID-19 cases tell us about how to prepare for the next pandemic?
A new study by IWH combined data sources to estimate work-related COVID-19 infection rates, using a method that took into account major shifts in where people worked.
Published: February 6, 2024
At Work article
Study of educators during pandemic found psychosocial conditions worse for those teaching online
In the fall of 2020, Ontario educators who taught in a virtual environment felt isolated and unsupported, while those working in-person experienced anxiety related to the risk of COVID transmission. That’s according a study of Ontario teachers, conducted by OHCOW and IWH.
Published: October 5, 2022
Journal article
Journal article
A media surveillance analysis of COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in Canada and the United States
Published: FACETS, August 2022
Research Highlights
Working conditions for Greater Toronto Area personal support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Personal support workers (PSWs) faced a range of challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including concerns of contracting or transmitting the virus, reduced work hours and income, loss of childcare services and lack of paid sick leave. While the pandemic highlighted the importance of the PSW workforce to the Canadian health-care system, pre-existing poor working conditions—in particular, insecure jobs with few benefits—exacerbated COVID-19-related work experiences.
Published: July 2022
Journal article
Journal article
Increased workplace bullying against nurses during COVID-19: a health and safety issue
Published: Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, June 2022
Journal article
Journal article
The psychosocial work environment among educators during the COVID-19 pandemic
Published: Occupational Medicine, June 2022
Journal article
Journal article
From hands-on to remote: moderators of response to a novel self-management telehealth programme during the COVID-19 pandemic
Published: European Journal of Pain, May 2022
Journal article
Journal article
The working conditions for personal support workers in the Greater Toronto Area during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study
Published: Canadian Journal of Public Health, May 2022
Journal article
Journal article
Trends and disparities in the use of telehealth among injured workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Published: Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, April 2022
Journal article
Journal article
Precarious work among personal support workers in the Greater Toronto Area: a respondent-driven sampling study
Published: CMAJ Open, April 2022
Project
Project
What are the long-term health and labour market outcomes of workers who experienced work-related COVID-19 transmission?
This project fills an important knowledge gap by determining the health and return-to-work outcomes of Canadians who acquired COVID-19 at work.
Status: Ongoing
IWH in the media
Host of symptoms, variable recovery times complicate return to work for those with long COVID
Long COVID can be difficult for workplaces to grapple with, due to the variety of symptoms, the way it flares up unexpectedly and the unclear timeline for recovery. IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Peter Smith is among the researchers interviewed in this episode of The Current.
Published: CBC Radio - The Current, February 2022