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Adventures in leadership
Read Mary’s guide to fearless RTW Coordination leadership, then take up our Choose Your Own Adventure Leadership Challenge!
Tongue-tied?
Ten tips to loosen your tongue and ease your mind when that big presentation looms.
Determined to RTW
A truck driver with a recurring knee injury doesn't let setbacks keep him out of the cabin in this SA case study
Chronic disease snapshot
In Australia and globally, preventable chronic diseases are on the rise. What does this mean for employers?
Acupuncture explained
Researchers now know how tiny, drug-free needles kill pain. This briefing paper covers what acupuncture is, and what it's good for.
The good, the bad, the ugly: Round three
Who comes out saddles blazing when Comcare takes on the ACT and QLD in the third installment of our jurisdictional website comparison?
The good, the bad, the ugly: Round 2
How do VIC, TAS and the NT stack up in our comparison of workers' comp jurisdictional websites?
Just how painful is injury reporting?
Knowing when injury reports should be made and how they should be dealt with can reduce the pain and strain of the process...
Strategic implementation Q&A
How to take the long view and get where you want to go, faster.
Health and productivity in smaller workplaces
You can't afford hit and miss. What works, what doesn't and how can you market tried and true solutions to your employees?
Disability management pegged: Part 3
Iron out problems by taking action
Disability management pegged: Part 2
Identify "dirty" laundry and take it to the cleaners
What's with 'That Department'?
Want something done at work? It helps to know what and who you're working with. Start by asking yourself these questions...
Disability management pegged: Part 1
You don't have to hang anybody out to dry to get your systems pegged. Instead, make plans and make friends.
How to win change and influence people
A change is as good as a holiday, right? Keep the post-summer break blues at bay. Implement change where it's needed.
Quick Guide: self efficacy
Not every injured or ill worker has the "I think I can" attitude of the Little Engine That Could. But you can get them there!
Top ten ways to reduce sick leave
Keep workers and reduce sick leave with a dose of sick leave sugar (and a dash of lemon!)
Signs of employee disengagement
Advice on how to bite the signs of disengagement - before they bite you
Fact sheet: Medical certification in Australia
Sickness certificates can be dangerous. Proceed with caution!
Suspicious Minds
Tips for supervisors who have their doubts about a worker's injury or compensation claim.
How YOU can take charge of RTW
A fact sheet for injured workers
Anxiety Q&A 3: Working with anxiety
This final installment provides tips for helping anxious employees maintain their cool and remain at work.
Anxiety Q&A Part 2: The costs
In part two of this three part series, we look at the personal, economic and work-related costs of anxiety.
Anxiety Q&A Part 1: The basics
tips for helping anxious employees maintain their cool and remain at work.
Suspicious about a claim at your small business?
There are three golden rules for small business owners who doubt the work-relatedness of an injury...
Highway to hell?
What's it like to enter the workers' comp system as an ill or injured worker?

Back Pain & RTW - a knowledge bomb
Everything you need to know about back pain and rtw in one hit!
Communicating with "The System"
Workers struggle to listen and be heard. How does this affect them?
It's time to reconceptualise injury management
Rethinking things: Professor Niki Ellis says we need to consider why we're failing on a few fronts in workers' comp and RTW.
Dealing with downsizing
A quick guide to minimising negative impacts of downsizing on workers' comp claims and return to work.
RTW relationship hurdles 2: Doctors and employers
Hurdling with a briefcase is tough, so why not dismantle RTW relationship barriers before they trip you up?
Bullying in Australian workplaces: Q&A
Bullying is bad for workplace health and bad for RTW. How widespread is it, and how does it impact on the field?
RTW relationship hurdles 1: Doctors and employers
Part One - What are the barriers to good doctor / employer relationships?
Who at your work would make the best RTW coordinator?
How do employers know who is the right staff member to delegate the role of RTW coordinator?
Strategic planning - how can I and why should I?
Arranging resources helps to achieve long-term workplace objectives. Here's how to make injury management planning work.
Overloaded employees underperform
Why it's worth noticing when employees feel overloaded - and what you can do about it.
Only know the bare bones about arthritis?
Flesh out your arthritis knowledge with a to-the-point briefing paper...
What do RTW Professionals need to know about CBT?
The basics of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and how it can be used to resolve difficult RTW cases.
Top ten reasons to have a health and wellbeing program
Need some ammunition to make the case for investment in health and wellbeing? Look no further than our latest top ten...
Asleep on the job
Missing a tram stop is the last thing fatigued workers should be worrying about. Try diabetes, heart disease, depression...
Conflict Cookie #4: Making the most of conflict
Conflict driving you crazy? Use it to drive innovation...
Is THE MAN responsible for MY health?
Healthy choices aren’t always easy choices. Whose responsibility is workplace health?
Dos and Don'ts for workplace health during the recession
A short guide to surviving the recession for busy RTW and OHS professionals.
Employees tough to budge on workplace health?
Dr Steve Beller says ‘Joy of living’ is a much more powerful motivator than ‘fear of illness and death’.
Health intervention gets outta town!
At 10 000 steps a day, healthy creativity goes a LONG way...
Gluttons for punishment? Talking work and psychosis at Mind
Ever wondered what it might be like to work with a mental illness, let alone return to work after a psychotic episode? We spoke to a group of people who've done it - and some of what they told us might surprise you.
Zeroing in on risky business: Hazard assessment and musculoskeletal disorders
We take a look at the non physical work factors that contribute to musculoskeletal disorders
WorkCover SA: can it be fixed?
Only time will tell whether the Rann government's WorkCover reforms are on the money or off the rails.
CONFLICT COOKIE #2 Recognising conflict
Recognising conflict BEFORE you trip over it is essential for managing successful return to work.
Small business, big problems?
Smaller businesses don't necesarily have fewer problems with return to work - simply different ones. The Australian Industry Group's Tracey Browne talks us through the variations.
Top ten easy steps for improving workplace culture
Good workplace culture fosters loyal employees who want to remain at their workplace.
You don't have to bend over backwards to benefit from workplace flexibility
Employers don't have to bend over backwards to reduce absenteeism and improve productivity. Just get flexible!
CONFLICT COOKIE #1 What kinds of conflict happen in the workplace?
Remember how your mum taught you to turn lemons into lemonade? In this series of bite-sized articles, we make cookies out of conflict!
DON'T follow the leader: Cranky pants Rudd illustrates the importance of a healthy work / life balance
A little disrespect goes a long way. Our work-obsessed PM takes time out mid flight to illustrate why we all need to work, rest and play.
What's more painful than chronic pain? Chronic pain in 'The System'
Workers' comp and RTW systems can exacerbate chronic pain, but as Coralie Wales from Chronic Pain Australia explains, that's not the end of the story...
Investigating an occupational stress claim? Say goodbye early intervention and hello long term claim!
All too often, the Process Steamroller pushes stressed employees into the Chasm of Long Term Claims. We talk - seriously - with Dr Rod Gutierrez about the slapstick of occupational stress.
On the clock and over the hill? Ageing workers in physical industries
We can't turn back the clock, but we can offer advice on how to minimise the impact of age on "work ability" in physically intensive industries.
KPI vs care - which is winning?
A process-driven acrimonious workers' compensation system is a dark place - let's shed some light to turn things around.
Helping those who help
In a presentation given at the 2009 Workers' Compensation Summit in Melbourne, Jackie Burke discussed vicarious trauma and how her workplace is helping employees combat its effects.
Going back to your own workplace is going down, down, down
Over the last 11 years, the rate of return to the pre-injury employer has been in decline. Last year, the rate of return to same duties also hit a new low. What's going on?
The scientific method: Successful health and wellbeing strategies at the CSIRO.
A tailored, best practice Health and Well Being program.
Employee engagement vs employee enragement
Employee engagement expert James Adonis speaks about his study of 2,400 employee, and how to retain employees and create a positive workplace environment.
Claimants rate Australian insurers' customer service
What do injured workers want from their insurers? According to the 11th RTW Monitor, a good attitude goes a long way - and Queensland shows us just how far.
Pilot program puts the "occupational" into "physiotherapy" - and shows results
Occupational Physiotherapist Dr Andrew Fischer is part of a pilot program designed to improve return to work outcomes for patients.
Australian workers' comp overview: Can money buy RTW?
We use the latest Comparative Performance Monitoring Report to take a look at how money is spent within Australia's workers' compensation system: and suggest that penny pinching is sometimes good for your health!
What is the value of research?
A look at why money spent on researching health is money spent well.
Adding insult to injury: Are Aussie workplaces helping or hindering RTW?
The 11th RTW Monitor highlights the 'make or break' role of supervisors and employers in RTW
Finding the middle ground
Occupational therapist Kate Roylance was very surprised that many of you responded that "Workplaces are too generous" in the last RTW Matters poll; we interviewed her to find out why.
UK's what, who and why of vocational rehab
A look at the UK College of Occupational Therapists' new paper, "Vocational rehabilitation: what is it, who can deliver it and who pays?"

Best letter competition
Win an iPod nano for the best letter recieved before the end of February.
Habitat at Work (New Zealand)
Web based self assessment & exercise tool
Occupational health - what's age got to do with it?
For men and women entrance to mid-life will affect them - at home and at work - in different ways. Occupational medicine can help.
No need for negative nellies
Words may not break bones like sticks and stones, but they can still do a lot of damage.
Is work good for you? Professor Kim Burton explains the UK's changing answer
In this interview with UK expert we learn that modern vocational rehabilitation is not about delivering an expensive service.
How one company turned 13 workers' compensation claims into two
Seventy work-sites to manage, different styles of management, a tough work culture, misconceptions about what's involved. Annette Photios had her work cut out when she stepped into her role.
Workplace culture: what's everyone talking about?
What do we mean by "workplace culture"? How to make sure it's "good" and what does "good" culture actually mean?
Tuna farmers turning the tide in return to work management.
An investment in occupational health, safety and welfare has paid dividends for a South Australian tuna farm.
A flag is a flag is a flag
Everyday words can take on different meanings when used by medical practitioners, but to what effect?
Promoting active workplaces for better work health.
For employers looking to increase productivity and reduce sick days, a workplace wellness program could be the answer.
LaTrobe University's Greg Murphy talks to RTW Matters
Associate Professor Greg Murphy on rehab policy, RTW after spinal injury and rehab in rural communities.
From the sporting arena to the workplace.
Introducing an elite sports model of injury prevention and management into the workplace is the key to reducing the frequency and severity of workplace injuries.
Jos Verbeek on The Cochrane Occupational Health Field
The Cochrane Occupational Health Field gathers evidence on the effectiveness of occupational health interventions and publishes reviews. RTW Matters spoke with Coordinator Jos Verbeek.
Dr Hari Dhir on doctor-patient communication (part 2)
The second half of Dr Dhir's doctor-patient communication insights.
Importance of preventitive stress management
Early detection and intervention are the keys when it comes to work-related stress.
The sleepy shift-worker
Talking about your sleepiness, looking out for colleagues and good sleep routines: the final installment of the three-part sleep series looks at the keys to managing sleepiness in the workplace.
Health and productivity program introduction , Sean Sullivan, CEO, IHPM
From the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM)
Understanding sleepiness
Part two in the sleep series addresses some common misconceptions about sleepiness.
How to help return to work after a mild traumatic brain injury
The importance of recognition and education in RTW after a mild traumatic brain injury and groups for whom the process is more difficult.
A member seeks advice on a problem
What do you suggest as a path forward to a positive outcome in this delicate situation?
Throwing a fakie
A fake sickie could land you in more trouble than it's worth
Positive (pirate) working culture
Workers' compensation and return to work plans have a longer history than you might think.
Towards a better workplace
Opening up lines of communication is essential in the return to work process.
When compensation impedes recovery
Studies show that workers are less likely to recover from illness or injury if they enter the compensation system.
In body but not mind - presenteeism in the workplace
Sometimes employees need return to work assistance even while they're still physically in the workplace.
Getting happier, working better
Studies have now proven that positive psychology has a big impact. In the workplace it can keep employees happier and more motivated to return to work after an illness or injury.
An Interview with Paul Coburn
Paul Coburn talks about changing doctors' beliefs and practices, poor medical advice and the future of work disability managment.

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