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
Understanding employment transitions among people living with arthritis across the life course
Taking a life-course approach, an IWH research team explored the unique employment-related experiences and needs of people living with arthritis at different stages of their lives and careers.
Status: Completed 2017
At Work article
Supervisors’ views on job accommodation influenced by key organizational factors
Leadership style, supervisor autonomy among factors linked to greater support for accommodation
Published: August 2014
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Examining supervisors' support for work accommodation
Employers can help prevent work disability due to low-back pain by offering temporary work accommodations. And often it's the supervisor who plays a key role in making offers of accommodation available. In this plenary, Associate Scientist Dr. Vicki Kristman outlines her study of supervisors, and shares the individual and organizational factors that are more likely to increase their support for work accommodation.
Published: May 2014
Project
Project
Role of aging in return to work and stay at work: a systematic review
What interventions and factors help injured older workers successfully return to work? A research team led by the Institute for Work & Health searched the evidence for answers.
Status: Completed 2017
Project
Project
Policies and practices on the accommodation of people with visible disabilities in the workplace
A research team led by IWH reviewed the literature to identify the workplace accommodations that employers in different workplaces are making at the recruitment, hiring and working stages for employees with visible disabilities.
Status: Completed 2017
At Work article
At Work article
The quest for greater flexibility: Creative innovations for workers with arthritis
Arthritis is a leading cause of disability among adults, and it often affects them in the prime of their career. How it’s approached in the workplace can make all the difference, according to a new study by an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Work & Health.
Published: August 2011
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
The role of organizational policies and practices in return to work: Findings from the readiness for return-to-work cohort
Organizational policies and practices (OPPs) are one of a group of leading indicators being examined in Ontario to assess occupational health and safety performance of organizations. In the Institute for Work & Health Readiness for Return-to-Work Cohort, the relationship between OPPs and return to work and successful work functioning are examined. In particular, we examine two ways through which OPPs may operate to affect important return-to-work outcomes.
Published: January 2011
At Work article
At Work article
Work accommodation offers are on the rise, but not always accepted
Workplaces in Ontario are headed in the right direction when it comes to offering injured employees a work accommodation, but there’s still more work to be done.
Published: April 2008
Tools and guides
Seven “Principles” for Successful Return to Work
This popular guide outlines seven principles that the research shows are associated with workplace practices that can help ensure the successful return of a worker after injury or illness.
Published: January 2007
Journal article
Journal article
Workplace-based return-to-work interventions: a systematic review of the quantitative literature
Published: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, December 2005