Ss35-02 Teleworking to Support Accommodation, Inclusion, and Health of Workers With Chronic Illnesses: Design and Validation of the Logic Model of a Reflective Utilization Guide

Introduction Despite some exploratory work suggesting courses of action to use telework as a modality facilitating accommodation, inclusion and health among singular populations of workers, such as people with physical disabilities, no guidelines are available to ensure a healthy application of telework among people having chronic illnesses. This study aimed to develop a reflective telework utilization guide to support the accommodation, inclusion, and health of workers with chronic illnesses. Methods Focus groups with teleworkers and individual interviews with managers enabled collecting qualitative data to generate the logic model of a reflective telework utilization guide. A validation process was also undertaken. Results Preliminary results highlight the concerns and recommendations of workers and managers regarding telework and its ability to support accommodation, inclusion and health. The logical model that was generated and validated is presented. Discussion On a practical level, the guide represents a concrete tool that managers and workers can use. This study’s research contribution is to pave the way for other projects aimed at developing innovative and effective solutions in promoting the accommodation, inclusion, and health of workers with chronic illnesses. Finally, on a societal level, the study results help to explain the influence of telework on the health and inclusion of all workers and encourage people to use the guide to promote healthy participation in telework. Conclusion This study proposes a concrete tool to support healthy work participation of workers with chronic illnesses, a growing population that forms an indispensable and qualified resource, especially in the context of the labour shortage.