Job accommodation
Job accommodations, through modifications or adjustments to job processes, work environments and/or work schedules, are a key component of stay-at-work and return-to-work programs that are designed to ensure workers with work- or non-work-related injuries or illnesses (physical or mental) are able to sustain their employment. IWH conducts a wide range of research in this area, exploring barriers and facilitators to successful job accommodation, as well as disclosure of disability and other complex issues surrounding the accommodation of injured or ill workers.
Featured
At Work article
Police service members face challenges with accommodation, communication and trust when returning to work after an injury
A recent IWH study examined the experiences of sworn and civilian Ontario police service members returning to their jobs after experiencing an injury or illness. It found their RTW challenges revolved around five main themes.
Published: September 18, 2023
At Work article
How government funding can best support the employment of persons with disabilities
What kind of government funding best encourages employers to hire and retain persons with disabilities? A research team at the Institute for Work & Health recently explored this question.
Published: May 4, 2022
Project
Project
Inclusive Design for Employment Access (IDEA): A social innovation lab to increase demand-side capacity to employ persons with disabilities in Canada
This large, national project includes many research team members, collaborators and partners—all taking an innovative approach to increasing the sustainable employment of people with disabilities in Canada by building disability confidence and accommodation capacity among employers
Status: Ongoing
Journal article
Journal article
Workplace challenges, supports, and accommodations for people with inflammatory bowel disease: a scoping review
Published: Disability and Rehabilitation, September 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Support for depression in the workplace: perspectives of employees, managers, and OHS personnel
Published: Occupational Health Science, June 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Impact of anxiety and depression disorders on sustained return to work after work-related musculoskeletal strain or sprain: a gender stratified cohort study
Published: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, May 2021
Journal article
Journal article
The role of nonstandard and precarious jobs in the well-being of disabled workers during workforce reintegration
Published: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, May 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Disclosure, privacy and workplace accommodation of episodic disabilities: organizational perspectives on disability communication-support processes to sustain employment
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, March 2021
Project
Project
Future-focused job accommodation practices for the school-to-work transition
Difficulties faced by young people during the school-to-work transition can have a lasting effect and contribute to adverse labour market outcomes that extend across one's working life. This studies explores the emerging barriers that young people with disabilities could face in accessing needed job accommodations within the changing world of work.
Status: Ongoing
Journal article
Journal article
Workforce reintegration after work-related permanent impairment: a look at the first year after workers' compensation claim closure
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, March 2021
At Work article
People’s reasons for disclosing episodic disabilities linked to support they receive
Should people with an episodic disability disclose their condition at work? It's a complex decision. This new study looks at people's reasons for disclosing (or not) and explores whether they are linked to outcomes.
Published: February 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Getting the message right: evidence-based insights to improve organizational return-to-work communication practices
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, February 2021