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
At Work article
Inclusive employment strategies, resources showcased at symposium
Published: November 12, 2025
Impact case study
Word spreads about IWH tools, thanks to stakeholders' support
Since the release of two tools designed to support the sustained employment of people with chronic and episodic conditions, word has spread quickly, thanks to organizations that promoted the tools and helped them reach the hands of workers, employers and post-secondary students.
Published: October 16, 2025
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Systematic review of the quantitative literature on RTW interventions
In 2004, the Institute for Work & Health (IWH) published a mixed-method systematic review on workplace‐based return‐to‐work (RTW) interventions. Recently, IWH and the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) in Australia worked together to update and expand this review to include system-level or jurisdictional interventions and mental illness. In this plenary, IWH's Emma Irvin and Kim Cullen discuss the latest findings and what they mean to the practice of evidence-based return to work.
Published: March 2015
Project
Project
Role of health-care providers in the workers’ compensation system and return-to-work process
How do health-care providers their role in the return-to-work process? What challenges do they face interacting with workers’ compensation boards, injured workers, employers and other health-care professionals? These are among the questions answered by a multi-jurisdictional research team led by IWH.
Status: Completed 2017
Project
Project
Developing an evidence base on sex/gender differences in the relationship between working conditions and injury risk, chronic illnesses and return to work
Are there important male and female differences in the assessment of work stress, the biological and behavioural reactions to work stress, and the relationship between work stress and risk of subsequent disease? This IWH study expects to find out.
Status: Completed 2018
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
Project
Project
How RTW differs for workers with psychological injuries, older workers
Using workers' compensation data from the Australian state of Victoria, an IWH study investigates differences in the return-to-work experiences of workers with psychological injuries compared to those with musculoskeletal disorders, and of older workers compared to younger ones.
Status: Completed 2020
Impact case study
WSIB work reintegration program improves outcomes, lowers costs
Study by IWH "points us in the right direction," says former WSIB exec.
Published: December 2014
Impact case study
Evidence-based service delivery model at WSIB improved return-to-work outcomes
A new case management system for delivering services to injured workers and employers in Ontario leads to improved return-to-work outcomes.
Published: December 2014
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
Returning to work following low-back pain: Do prognostic factors differ for acute, subacute and chronic pain?
How long does it take for someone with low-back pain to recover enough to return to work? That's a question often asked by the worker, the employer, and the workers' compensation agency alike. In this plenary, Dr. Ivan Steenstra shares prognostic factors for subacute and chronic low-back pain and compares them with prognostic factors for acute pain. He also discusses how stakeholders use prognostic information, and how their understanding of prognostic factors compares to his own findings.
Published: November 2014
At Work article
IWH to explore how work affects health of women and men differently
New research chair explores role of gender and sex in work injury risk, recovery, chronic disease outcomes
Published: November 2014
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