Return to work, accommodation and support
IWH has a long history of conducting research on practices, policies and processes that help workers sustainably return to work after an illness or an injury. This page pulls together IWH research and resources on employer supports, job accommodations and modifications, as well as other related issues such as disclosure of disability.
Featured
IWH Speaker Series
On mental health, remote work and shared accountability: Complex and evolving perspectives on workplace support and accommodation
Published: September 29, 2026
Research Highlights
Nearly half of workers with disabilities hide impact of health condition on work
The decision to not disclose and the decision to actively hide information about the impact of a health condition on work are distinct. This study explores how often people hide health information at the workplace, who is likely to do so, or what the impacts may be.
Published: August 5, 2026
IWH in the media
How workplaces can support staff with MS
Canada has one of the highest rates of multiple scleroris and employers need to do more to accommodate, according to Julie Kelndorfer of MS Society of Canada. Maia Foulis interviews her about what workplaces can do to be safe and welcoming to people with the condition, and why the society is a partner on an Institute for Work & Health research project on communicating about episodic disability.
Published: Canadian Occupational Safety, September 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Cohort profile: the Ontario Life After Workplace Injury Study (OLAWIS)
Published: BMJ Open, September 2021
IWH in the media
Lack of support at work makes COVID worse for people with disabilities
The coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected plenty of employees. But for those with physical or mental health challenges, a lack of support on the job has exacerbated the issues. John Dujay reports on a study conducted by Dr. Monique Gignac of the Institute for Work and Health (IWH).
Published: Canadian HR Reporter, August 2021
At Work article
COVID worries highest among workers with both physical, mental health disabilities
People with both physical and mental health disabilities were the most concerned about their work, health and finances during the early part of the pandemic.
Published: July 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Sleep disturbances and disability following work-related injury and illness: examining longitudinal relationships across three follow-up waves
Published: Journal of Sleep Research, June 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Support for depression in the workplace: perspectives of employees, managers, and OHS personnel
Published: Occupational Health Science, June 2021
Project
Project
Ontario Life After Work Injury Study: Understanding the long-term recovery and labour market outcomes of injured workers in the shadow of COVID-19
Building on IWH's original Ontario Life After Work Injury Study (OLAWIS), IWH is looking in particular at the long-term outcomes of people who were recovering and returning to work during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Status: Completed 2023
At Work article
Education, type of work lessen pandemic job loss in youths with rheumatic diseases
Young adults with rheumatic diseases have generally faced greater challenges in the job market than their healthy peers. That was why an IWH research team set out to examine their work experiences during the pandemic.
Published: June 2021
Journal article
Journal article
Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on health, financial worries, and perceived organizational support among people living with disabilities in Canada
Published: Disability and Health Journal, June 2021
IWH in the media
Episodic health conditions
There's no simple "yes" or "no" answer to the question, “Should I tell my employer I have a chronic condition that sometimes makes it hard to work?” At the Institute for Work & Health, researchers have been working to develop a research-based decision-making tool. In one of the studies conducted to support the tool’s evidence base, the team explored people’s reasons for disclosing their episodic condition and found they do matter to the support they get, writes Dr. Monique Gignac.
Published: Rehab & Community Care, April 2021