Online resources supporting workers with chronic episodic disabilities: an environmental scan

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this research was to conduct an environmental scan describing publicly available resources focussed on working with an episodic disability and providing information and advice about communication and accommodation to support working people living with episodic disabilities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted an environmental scan of English language, freely available, online resources relevant to episodic disabilities in the workplace. The authors used Google™ to conduct structured keyword searches. Resources were reviewed and data extracted about episodic health condition(s) addressed, intended audience(s), resource format and content about health, legal rights, workplace issues, and accommodation and communication needs.FindingsSearches yielded 5,300 links to websites which was supplemented by 101 links identified by partners. Screening for relevance found 210 resources for which data were extracted. Of them, 158 addressed specific episodic disabilities or episodic disabilities generally. Most resources provided useful information addressing communication and accommodation of episodic disability. However, information specific to the episodic nature of disability was not consistently available. The resources generally lacked interactivity which could potentially limit users in applying the information to their personal circumstances.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest there are good resources to help workers and managers/supervisors navigate accommodations for episodic disabilities. Research should aim to improve the interactivity of information to personalize resources to worker and workplace needs, as well as formally evaluate resources and their outcomes. Practitioners may wish to recommend resources that specifically address workplace challenges for their clients.Originality/valueThe authors believe this is one of few studies that examined publicly available resources relevant to working with episodic disabilities.

Support for depression in the workplace: Perspectives of employees, managers, and OHS personnel

“…Further research is required to better understand whether interventions or programs to improve aspects of workplace culture are effective in the accommodation of various episodic conditions. Recent research exploring available resources for episodic health conditions reveal similar types of accommodations and supports described among available resources (Van Eerd et al, 2020).…”

“…In addition, there are a number of episodic physical and mental health conditions that have intermittent symptoms and are largely invisible to others, which could benefit from the types of accommodations described in this study on depression (e.g., Inflammatory Bowel Disease, anxiety disorders). Ongoing research by members of our team have revealed the need for similar accommodations and concomitant challenges in implementing such accommodations (Gignac et al, 2021a;Gignac et al, 2021b;Van Eerd et al, 2020). Workplace parties often consider workplace culture to be an important element in the accommodation of episodic health conditions (Corbière et al, 2016;Corbière et al, 2014;Gignac et al, 2021a).…”

Review of Risk Assessment and Occupational Hazard in Construction Industries Amid Covid -19 Pandemic

“…[International Labor organization (ILO,2020) [9] in her recently published guide policy titled covid-19 and new meaning of safety and health at work suggested constant labour inspection policy system a means of reducing work hazard. But work of (Dwayne et al ,2020) [6] and (Guilhermef, 2021) [8] opposed the views of (I LO, 2020) and [Benjamin, 2021] that supports face-to-face working condition with the introduction of fourth industrial resolution technology that eliminates disruption in production and distribution in the industries by introduction of artificial intelligence in the covid-19 era and thus lowering risk of infections.…”

Does it matter what your reasons are when deciding to disclose (or not disclose) a disability at work? The association of workers’ approach and avoidance goals with perceived positive and negative workplace outcomes

“…At the same time, legislation in many countries protects workers with disabilities from discrimination, including workers with mental health conditions. Mental health awareness campaigns have shed greater light on the stigma experienced by individuals and offer education and skills building for workplaces [ 34 ]. This could mean that workers who disclose their mental health condition have comparable outcomes to workers with physical health conditions.…”