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

A police officer with their back turned faces a group of people walking around.
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
Row of diverse persons with disabilities
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
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

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
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
Two women sharing a confidence at work
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