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
Addressing communication issues faced by supervisors, case managers key to well-run RTW process
IWH study of disability management in large, complex organizations focuses on communication bottlenecks experienced by supervisors, case managers
Published: October 8, 2019
At Work article
Despite pain and fatigue, older workers with chronic conditions want to work to age 65
IWH study of retirement expectations finds boomers with health issues have same plans as healthy peers
Published: July 30, 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Disability severity, leader-member exchange, and attitudinal outcomes: considering the employee and supervisor perspectives
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, March 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Workplace accommodations following work-related mild traumatic brain injury: what works?
Published: Disability and Rehabilitation, February 2020
Journal article
Journal article
Communication and collaboration among return-to-work stakeholders
Published: Disability & Rehabilitation, November 2019
At Work article
Addressing communication issues faced by supervisors, case managers key to well-run RTW process
Disability management depends on communication, and according to an IWH study, in large and complex organizations, communication "bottlenecks" tend to converge around two roles in particular: front-line supervisors and case managers.
Published: October 2019
At Work article
Raising awareness about caregiver supports results in savings for employer: study
It's one thing to have workplace policies to support employees with unpaid caregiving duties at home. It's another to raise awareness about such policies among staff and their supervisors. That alone can result in savings for the employer, according to a new cost-benefit analysis.
Published: July 2019
At Work article
Despite pain and fatigue, older workers with chronic conditions want to work to age 65
Having a health condition or a chronic disease can be challenging for older workers, but it doesn't necessarily decrease their desire to work and retire at about the same age as healthy peers, finds an IWH study of retirement expectations.
Published: July 2019
IWH in the media
Employers miss out on talent by overlooking workers living with disabilities
One reason for the lower employment participation rates of people with disabilities is that employers often have prohibitive concerns and pessimistic ideas about hiring people with disabilities. But research conducted as part of the Canadian Disability Participation Project, by a team that includes IWH's Dr. Arif Jetha, suggests that many of the most common employer concerns about hiring people with disabilities are unfounded, writes project lead Dr. Silvia Bonnacio.
Published: The Conversation, July 2019
Journal article
Journal article
Impact of a caregiver-friendly workplace policies intervention: a prospective economic evaluation
Published: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, June 2019
Tools and guides
Supporting return to work among employees with musculoskeletal or mental health conditions: an evidence-based practical resource
This resource synthesizes the research evidence on the practical solutions that workplaces can implement (in conjunction with workers' compensation, insurance and health-care authorities) to support the return to work of employees with musculoskeletal disorders or mental health conditions.
Published: May 2019
Journal article
Journal article
The participation of people with disabilities in the workplace across the employment cycle: employer concerns and research evidence
Published: Journal of Business and Psychology, April 2019