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
Research Highlights
How do employment support programs impact the health of young adults with episodic disabilities?
Episodic disabilities can make it challenging for workers to find and sustain employment while managing their symptoms and work demands. An IWH study investigated the health impacts of employment support programs for young adults with episodic disabilities.
Published: April 8, 2024
Research Highlights
Workers are using cannabis to treat work-related conditions, mostly without medical guidance
While cannabis is often used recreationally, there is growing interest in its use for therapeutic purposes, such as for pain, anxiety, depression and sleep problems. Some workers are using cannabis many months following the onset of a work-related condition, mostly without medical guidance.
Published: October 5, 2023
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Health-care providers and their role in return to work
Research around the world has shown that health-care providers have a key role in the return-to-work (RTW) process. However, pressure on consultation time, administrative challenges and limited knowledge about a patient’s workplace can thwart meaningful engagement. In a two-year study conducted in four Canadian provinces, Dr. Agnieszka Kosny focused on the experiences of health-care providers within the workers’ compensation system and their role in the RTW process. She shares her findings in this plenary.
Published: February 2017
At Work article
Effective workplace return-to-work interventions are multi-faceted: IWH review
Two's better than one. Three's better than two. According to a systematic review, workplace return-to-work programs are more effective when they offer different types of interventions, cutting across different domains.
Published: February 2017
Journal article
Journal article
An analysis of measurement invariance in work stress by sex: Are we comparing apples to apples?
Published: JASNH, January 2017
Journal article
Journal article
Workplace accommodations for persons with physical disabilities: evidence synthesis of the peer-reviewed literature
Published: Disability and Rehabilitation, January 2017
Journal article
Journal article
A systematic review of interventions to promote work participation in older workers
Published: Journal of Safety Research, January 2017
IWH in the media
Doctors frustrated workers’ compensation boards seem to ignore medical opinions, report says
The Toronto Star interviews Dr. Agnieszka Kosny about the findings of her study on the role of health-care providers in workers' compensation and return-to-work.
Published: The Toronto Star, January 2017
IWH in the media
Young adults with arthritis more likely to be workers, not students
A survey of young adults by the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) revealed that those with arthritis reported significantly higher rates of employment and lower rates of education participation than their peers without arthritis.
Published: AJMC.com, January 2017
Project
Project
Conceal or reveal? Facilitators and barriers to older workers' communication of accommodation needs
Little is known about how older workers make decisions about whether or not to communicate their job accommodation needs and, if so, to whom, when and how. An IWH study is exploring the barriers and facilitators to the communication of baby boomers’ workplace accommodation needs.
Status: Ongoing
Journal article
Journal article
Male-female differences in work activity limitations: examining the relative contribution of chronic conditions and occupational characteristics
Published: Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, January 2017
Project
Project
Accommodating and Communicating about Episodic Disabilities (ACED): A partnership to deliver workplace resources to sustain employment of people with chronic, episodic conditions
A multi-partner research team led by IWH is seeking to develop evidence-informed resources to facilitate communication and accommodation planning among workers with episodic mental and physical health conditions, supervisors and other workplace parties.
Status: Ongoing