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Introduction: Small businesses (SBs) play an important role in global economies, employ half of all workers, and pose distinct workplace health problems. This systematic review of qualitative peer-reviewed literature was carried out to identify and synthesize research findings about how SB workplace parties understand and enact processes related to occupational health and safety (OHS)., Methods: The review was conducted as part of a larger mixed-method review and in consultation with stakeholders. A comprehensive literature search identified 5067 studies. After screening for relevance, 20 qualitative articles were identified. Quality assessment led to 14 articles of sufficient quality to be included in the meta-ethnographic findings synthesis., Results: This review finds that SBs have distinctive social relations of work, apprehensions of workplace risk, and legislative requirements. Eight themes were identified that consolidate knowledge on how SB workplace parties understand OHS hazards, how they manage risk and health problems, and how broader structures, policies and systems shape the practice of workplace health in SBs. The themes contribute to 'layers of evidence' that address SB work and health phenomena at the micro (e.g. employer or worker behavior), meso (e.g. organizational dynamics) and macro (e.g. state policy) levels., Conclusions: This synthesis details the unique qualities and conditions of SBs that merit particular attention from planners and occupational health policy makers. In particular, the informal workplace social relations can limit workers' and employers' apprehension of risk, and policy and complex contractual conditions in which SBs are often engaged (such as chains of subcontracting) can complicate occupational health responsibilities. This review questions the utility of SB exemptions from OHS regulations and suggests a legislative focus on the particular needs of SBs. It considers ways that workers might activate their own workplace health concerns, and suggests that more qualitative research on OHS solutions is needed. It suggests that answers to the SB OHS problems identified in this review might lie in third party interventions and improved worker representation.

People with dementia are excluded from research due to methodological challenges, stigma, and discrimination. Including perspectives of people with dementia across a spectrum of abilities is essential to understanding their perspectives and experiences. Engaging people living with dementia in qualitative research can require adaptation of methods. Qualitative research is typically considered when researchers seek to understand the perspectives, lived experiences, or opinions of individuals' social reality. This scoping review explores current use of adapted methods with people with dementia in qualitative research, including methods used and impacts on the engagement as it relates to meeting accessibility needs. This review considered rationales for adaptations provided by authors, particularly whether authors identified a human rights or justice rationale for adapting methods to promote accessibility and engagement. This review began with a search of primary studies using qualitative research methods published in English in OECD countries from 2017 to 2022. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts for inclusion. Full texts were reviewed, and data from included studies were extracted using a pre-determined chart. Content analysis of rationales was conducted and reviewed by all authors. Studies were assessed for findings related to impacts of adapted methods. Twenty-eight studies met inclusion criteria. Adaptations to qualitative research methods ranged from minor changes, such as maintaining a familiar interviewer, to more extensive novel methods such as photo-elicitation techniques. Twenty-seven studies provided a rationale for adapting their methods. No studies assessed impacts of their methodology on engagement or accessibility. Five studies observed that their methodology supported engagement. This review helps understand the breadth of adaptations that researchers have made to qualitative research methods to include people with dementia in research. Research is needed to explore adaptations and their impact on engagement of persons with dementia with a range of abilities and backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for app-based platform-based couriers, creating job opportunities for individuals who have lost income because of COVID-19. Through various stages of lockdown, courier workers (e.g., delivering for Uber Eats, Amazon Flex, and Lyft) provide an essential service. At the same time, this form of work poses risks for exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus as these workers are highly mobile and in contact with many individuals. OBJECTIVE: To explore how platform-based couriers discuss risks associated with their work during periods of high (first wave, second wave, third wave/rise in concerns regarding variants) and low risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020–2021. METHODS: We provide a narrative analysis of user posts (n = 2,866) on Reddit during periods of interest. RESULTS: Our analysis resulted in three central findings. First, we identified changing patterns in discourse as the pandemic went on. Second, we found that the theme of risk prevailed largely in the first wave, with dialogue dominated by tips and asking for advice about how to manage risk. Third, our findings reveal a growing polarization among users during the latter phases of the study. CONCLUSION: Polarization largely focused on acceptance (or not) of public health measures and the nature of their work as independent contractors and the role/responsibility of courier companies to offer protection. Our study is the first to document risks, from the perspectives of anonymous couriers who may be unwilling to share their honest opinions and thoughts through primary data collection where anonymity is not guaranteed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Injured workers can experience adverse effects from work injury and claims processes.Workers may be treated unfairly by employers, compensation boards, and return-to-work coordinators; however,how workers respond to these challenges is unknown. This article describes how injured precarious workersresponded behaviourally and emotionally to procedural unfairness in work injury and claims processes, and whatworkers did next. Methods: Interviews were conducted with thirty-six precariously employedinjured workers recruited in Ontario through social media, email, cold calling, word-of-mouth, and the "snowball"method. Thematic code summaries were analyzed to identify how precarious workers responded to procedural unfairness. Results: Workers went through all or most of these five stages (not always linearly)when faced with procedural unfairness: (1) passive, (2) fought back, (3) quit pursuit of claim, (4) quit job, and (5)won or got further in fight. Feeling confused, angry, frustrated, unsupported, disappointed, determined, optimistic,and wary were common emotions. Conclusions: Identifying unfairness and its emotional,behavioral, and material effects on workers is important to understand implications for compensation systems.Understanding and recognizing unfairness can equip employers, legal representatives, compensation boards, andphysicians, to address and prevent it, and provide worker resources. Policy changes can ensure accountability andconsequences to unfairness initiators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As they deliver food, packages, and people across cities, digital platform drivers (gig workers) are in a key position to become infected with COVID‐19 and transmit it to many others. The aim of this study is to identify perceived COVID‐19 exposure and job risks faced by workers and document the measures in place to protect their health, and how workers responded to these measures. Methods: In 2020–2021, in‐depth interviews were conducted in Ontario, Canada, with 33 digital platform drivers and managers across nine platforms that delivered food, packages, or people. Interviews focused on perceived COVID‐19 risks and mitigation strategies. Audio recordings were transcribed verbatim and uploaded to NVivo software for coding by varied dual pairs of researchers. A Stakeholder Advisory Committee played an instrumental role in the study. Results: As self‐employed workers were without the protection of employment and occupational health standards, platform workers absorbed most of the occupational risks related to COVID‐19. Despite safety measures (e.g., contactless delivery) and financial support for COVID‐19 illnesses introduced by platform companies, perceived COVID‐19 risks remained high because of platform‐related work pressures, including rating systems. We identify five key COVID‐19 related risks faced by the digital platform drivers. Conclusion: We situate platform drivers within the broad context of precarious employment and recommend organizational‐ and government‐level interventions to prevent digital platform worker COVID‐19 risks and to assist workers ill with COVID‐19. Measures to protect the health of platform workers would benefit public health aims by reducing transmission by drivers to families, customers, and consequently, the greater population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The objective of this study was to explore how workers' compensation policies related to healthcare provision for workers with musculoskeletal injuries can affect the delivery and trajectories of care for injured workers. The principal research question was: What are the different ways in which workers' compensation (WC) policies inform and transform the practices of healthcare providers (HCPs) caring for injured workers? Methods: We conducted a cross-jurisdictional policy analysis. We conducted qualitative interviews with 42 key informants from a variety of perspectives in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada, the state of Victoria in Australia and the state of Washington in the United States. The main methodological approach was Framework Analysis. Results: We identified two main themes: (1) Shaping HCPs' clinical practices and behaviors with injured workers. In this theme, we illustrate how clinical practice guidelines and non-economic and economic incentives were used by WCs to drive HCP's behaviours with workers; (2) Controlling workers' trajectories of care. This theme presents how WC policies achieve control of the workers' trajectory of care via different policy mechanisms, namely the standardization of care pathways and the power and autonomy vested in HCPs. Conclusions: This policy analysis shed light on the different ways in which WC policies shape HCP's day-to-day practices and workers' trajectories. A better understanding and a nuanced portrait of these policies' impacts can help support reflections on future policy changes and inform policy development in other jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research is an increasingly popular research approach for tackling the evolving complexity of social issues. With this rise in use, methods of qualitative data collection are becoming highly diverse, moving away from conventional approaches and welcoming more innovative and creative methods of data collection in a quest to produce critically and theoretically engaged new knowledge. Although traditional face-to-face interviews remain a compelling and popular means, modern innovative technology-based interviewing, such as videoconference interviews, can play a pivotal role in qualitative research. This article argues that this approach is pragmatic because video conferencing interviews are relatively affordable for research teams and, for many research participants, they are more accessible than face-to-face interviews. On the other hand, it provides a unique opportunity for researchers and participants by compressing the time-space divide, facilitating safety, reducing travel-related expenses, accessing transnational participants, maintaining social distance, and protecting personal space and privacy. Yet, this article also argues that videoconferencing can be dogged by practical challenges that might conflict with the holistic quality of qualitative research, such as dropped calls and loss of intimacy compared to traditional in-person interviews. This article presents the experiences of a young researcher, who reflects on how and why he conducted Skype interviews in his research. The article concludes that, despite the relative merits and demerits, videoconference interviews can be a useful supplement or replacement for traditional face-to-face interviews. However, more research is needed to gain a robust understanding of how this type of interview meets basic assumptions about the quality of interviews and affects the overall rigor of qualitative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Cancer survivors have strong personal desires to resume work to feel productive and meet financial needs. However, they may be faced with physical and psychological challenges. This research addresses the question: "What are the needs of cancer survivors when returning to or staying in the workforce?" by (i) examining cancer survivors' perspectives on supports needed when returning to or staying in the workforce and (ii) exploring personal and employment factors that influence the return to work process. Methods An exploratory qualitative design was used. We conducted focus groups and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with cancer survivors (n = 15). Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Four key themes were identified as significant aspects of the return-to-work process for cancer survivors: (1) changing perspectives on self and work; (2) managing work and social systems; (3) determining disclosure and accommodation; and (4) the importance of supports for return to work and daily life. Conclusions There is a growing interest in developing targeted interventions to improve work outcomes for cancer survivors. This study informs cancer rehabilitation research by developing an understanding of the supports and strategies that should be implemented to help cancer survivors return to work successfully and improve quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:Theoretical and empirical research findings attest to the workplace being a social environment in which co-workers have a critical influence on the employment outcomes and return-to-work (RTW) success of other employees. However, co-workers do not have a formal role in RTW planning. The aim of this study was to explore how managers responsible for developing and implementing RTW procedures view the role of co-workers in this process. Method:An exploratory qualitative pilot study was conducted in Canada. Participants (1 male; 13 females; mean experience in RTW = 11.8 years) were workplace (n=8) or RTW managers (n=6) with direct oversight of RTW plans. The participants were recruited via invitation from a research institute and were drawn from three different provinces. Data were gathered via open-ended questions and were coded and subject to thematic analysis. Findings:Three key themes were identified: (1) Managers view RTW as having little relevance to co-workers but expect them to cooperate with the arrangements; (2) Formal procedures are inadequate when psychosocial barriers to work resumption are present, so managers use informal strategies to engage co-workers’ emotional and social support; and (3) Managers have difficulty integrating RTW procedures with other legal obligations, such as privacy and confidentiality requirements. Conclusion:Existing arrangements for the development and implementation of RTW are sufficient most of the time, but may be inadequate when an injured worker presents with psychosocial barriers to work resumption.Implications for RehabilitationStandard RTW arrangements can be inadequate when a RTW plan requires active co-worker support.Privacy and confidentiality provisions can result in managers using informal procedures for information exchange and to engage co-workers.The use of risk management strategies – assessment, consultation and communication – could be used to include co-workers when workplace issues threaten the success of a RTW plan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose Work disability research has found co-worker support to be a significant but under-recognised aspect of work reintegration (WR) processes. Although co-workers work alongside returning workers, their practical contribution to WR success or failure is often invisible to others. This study aimed to gain further insight into the role and contribution of co-workers in WR interventions. Method An exploratory qualitative pilot study was conducted in Toronto, Canada in 2011. Three focus groups were conducted with 13 co-workers, recruited for their direct experience of 'working alongside' a returning worker. An iterative data gathering and analysis process occurred. Themes were generated from categories in open-ended interview questions and new issues arising from the data. Findings The findings detail co-workers' practical experiences of WR processes and their reflections on social and work conditions that impacted their participation. Co-workers' capacity to support returning workers was related to the quality of the WR arrangements, the relationship with the returning worker, work culture, and the duration of the required support. Workplace privacy and confidentiality requirements were identified as a key challenge for co-worker participation. The effects on co-workers of WR processes ranged from the opportunity to learn new skills to disillusionment and withdrawal from the workplace. In worst case scenarios, 'ripple effects' including emotional distress, physical injury and termination of co-workers' employment had occurred. Conclusion Co-workers are not a neutral party in WR procedures. Formalizing the co-worker role to include communication, consideration and recognition might improve co-workers' WR experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Immigrants often come to Canada for the purpose of employment and make up a large proportion of our labour force. Yet, these workers' labour market experience may not always be positive – new immigrant workers can have difficulties finding a job in their field and may end up working in ‘survival jobs’ that expose them to workplace hazards. Workers who are new to Canada may not be familiar with legislation designed to protect them at work or with social programs that can help after a work-related injury. Methods. Through a series of in-depth interviews this study examined the experiences of new immigrants after they were injured on the job. Results. The analysis revealed that many workers were in manual, ‘survival jobs’ and had not received job or occupational health and safety training. Many did not speak the English language well and knew little about their rights. While workers often felt trepidation about reporting their injury, most told a health care provider or employer that they were injured or in pain. This, however, rarely led to timely or appropriate claim filing. Workers were often discouraged from filing a claim, misinformed about their rights or offered ‘time off work’ in lieu of reporting the injury to worker's compensation. In instances where a claim was filed, communication problems were common and led to mistakes being made on forms and misunderstandings with the adjudicator and employer. Interpretation services were not always offered consistently or at the correct time. Conclusion. Efforts must be made to systematically inform new immigrants of their health and safety rights, responsibilities and entitlements as they are entering the labour market. Systems must be put in place to ensure that immigrants can access the compensation system in the event of a work-related injury and that employers and healthcare providers fulfil their reporting responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: Health care providers (HCPs) play a central role in workers' compensation systems. In most systems, they are involved in the legitimization of work-related injury, are required to provide information to workers' compensation boards about the nature and extent of the injury, give recommendations about return-to-work capability and provide treatment for injury or illness. This study identifies problems that occur at the interface between the health care system, injured workers, and workers' compensation boards (WCBs) that may complicate and extend workers' compensation claims and the mechanisms that underlie the development of these problems. Methods: Interviews were sought with injured workers, peer helpers and service providers from a variety of geographic locations in order to get a broad picture of return to work problems and concerns. This analysis includes data from total of 34 interviews with injured workers who had long term and complicated claims. Interviews were also conducted with 14 peer helpers and 21 service providers. Results: We identified four domains related to injured workers' interface with the health care system that played a key role in complicating and prolonging compensation claims. These problems, related to health care access, conflicting or imperfect medical knowledge, limited understanding of compensation system requirements and confusion about decision-making authority, resulted in frustration, financial difficulties and mental health problems for injured workers. Conclusion: Recommendations are made about how compensation system parties can find better ways to serve injured worker health care needs and facilitate a smooth relationship between the compensation board and HCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction There is a limited body of research on how the actual social exchange among workplace actors influences the practice of return-to-work. The objective of this study was to explore how workplace actors experience social relations at the workplace and how organizational dynamics in workplace-based return-to-work extends before and beyond the initial return of the sick listed worker to the workplace. Method An exploratory qualitative method approach was used, consisting of individual open-ended interviews with 33 workplace actors at seven worksites that had re-entering workers. The workplace actors represented in these interviews include: re-entering workers, supervisors, co-workers, and human resource managers. Results The analysis identified three distinct phases in the return to work process: while the worker is off work, when the worker returns back to work, and once back at work during the phase of sustainability of work ability. The two prominent themes that emerged across these phases include the theme of invisibility in relation to return-to-work effort and uncertainty, particularly, about how and when to enact return-to-work. Conclusion The findings strengthen the notion that workplace-based return-to-work interventions need to take social relations amongst workplace actors into account. They also highlight the importance and relevance of the varied roles of different workplace actors during two relatively unseen or grey areas, of return-to-work: the pre-return and the post-return sustainability phase. Attention to the invisibility of return-to-work efforts of some actors and uncertainty about how and when to enact return-to-work between workplace actors can promote successful and sustainable work ability for the re-entering worker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Most workers who incur an injury on the job follow a relatively straightforward path through a workers’ compensation claim, recovery and return to work. However, a minority of compensation claims is prolonged and can be disproportionately costly. We conducted this qualitative study in order to gain an understanding of systemic, process-related problems affecting injured workers who had failed to return to work as expected. Method A total of 69 in-depth interviews were conducted with injured workers with complex and extended workers’ compensation claims and with return-to-work (RTW) providers such as health care providers, insurers, legal advisors, and workplaces. The study was based in Ontario, Canada. A modified grounded theory analysis led to the identification of common mechanisms in RTW problems. Results We identify problems with return to work and extended workers’ compensation claims in dysfunctions in organizational dynamics across RTW systems including the workplace, healthcare, vocational rehabilitation and workers’ compensation. These system problems are difficult to identify because they appear as relatively mundane and bureaucratic. These appeared to have damaging effects on workers in the form of a ‘toxic dose’ affecting the worker beyond the initial injury. Conclusions Worker’s problems with extended claims were linked to RTW policies that did not easily accommodate conflict or power imbalances among RTW parties and by social relations and processes that impeded communication about RTW situations and problems. Avenues for intervention are located in a shift to a critical lens to RTW process that addresses differences of knowledge, resources, and interests among different parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent trend towards cooperative management and prevention of workplace injuries has introduced numerous health and safety actors to the workplace with varying amounts and types of expertise. The purpose of this qualitative research project was to explore the understandings of risk as experienced by food service workers (FSW) and how these compare with an 'expert' in risk assessment. In total 13 FSW, selected based on age, work location, and gender, and one experienced Ergonomist participated in the study. In-depth semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with each participant and transcripts of the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis by drawing on methods closely related to grounded theory. The findings of this study indicated that the risks for occupational injury as experienced by FSW were multi-dimensional in nature representing not only the physical requirements of the individual's job, but also the social interactions of the FSW with their coworkers, management, and the organization. FSW were also found to be a rich source of knowledge and experience concerning occupational risk and may be under-utilized when designing interventions. The results of this study support a cooperative team approach to reduce the risks of injury in the workplace, with a specific emphasis on inclusion of the worker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of a qualitative study of health in small enterprises, this paper attempts to theorise the social production of illness and injury in the workplace. Particular features of working life in small workplaces, especially their personalised social relations and low polarisation of employer-employee interests, shape workers' perceptions of the employment relationship and of health in relation to work. Strained authority relations at work can form a key social context in which health and injury are constructed. In situations of conflictful supervisory relations, bodily experiences can become 'problematised'. Meanings attributed to health conditions and the quality of the employment relationship are transformed and merged, prompting a questioning of the legitimacy of power asymmetries in the workplace and recognition of the conflicting interests of labour and capital. Bodily experiences and ill-health offer possibilities for resistance and become mediators of broader social tensions. Unheeded illness claims deepen feelings of distrust and blame, further causing labour relations to deteriorate, and re-producing the social conditions for illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]