Deciding whether to share health information at work: A new evidence-based tool for workers with chronic conditions

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Online

Monique Gignac
Institute for Work & Health

Workers with chronic and episodic physical and mental health conditions often struggle when deciding whether to seek support from their workplace. In making decisions, they weigh risks like the loss of privacy or reputation if they disclose their needs, versus concerns about job difficulties and work performance if they don’t receive support. 

In this presentation, Dr. Monique Gignac focuses on the challenges inherent in the decision-making process. She outlines how different workers prioritize information, and how this relates to their disclosure decisions and work context. She also describes a new decision-support tool called DCIDE that aims to help workers navigate the complexity of disclosure decisions. Developed as part of a large research partnership with input from researchers, people with lived experiences, and health charities, DCIDE is an online, interactive tool that guides users through disclosure decisions and links them with additional resources to support their disclosure and privacy preferences.  

About presenter

Dr. Monique Gignac is scientific director and senior scientist at the Institute for Work & Health. She is also a professor in the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Her research expertise is in the areas of health and social psychology, including health models of disability. Of particular interest is research on workplace communication, privacy, support and accommodation needs among individuals living with chronic, episodic conditions.

About IWH Speaker Series

The IWH Speaker Series brings you the latest findings from work and health researchers from the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and beyond. For those unable to attend, the recorded webinar of most presentations in the IWH Speaker Series are made available on its web page within a week of the event.