Features
Philosopher King
An Italian entrepreneur has turned the Umbrian village of Solomeo into both a fashion factory, and an extraordinary experiment in workplace health and wellbeing.
The age debate
Abbott and Gillard are right: population size does matter. But are they forgetting about the challenges to participation and productivity posed by Australia’s ageing workforce?
Learning from the Vet
Getting in touch with connectedness
The broad reach of suicide
The burden of suicide in Australia is comparable with other major, better understood chronic diseases.
Preventing Further Harm to the Harmed
Etymology - the archaeology of words - sometimes uncovers a contemporary resonance in ancient digs.
Judging the judges
SuperDoc reminisces about his time in the Courts and asks, "Do judges have ANY idea what they're doing?"
The PM's Progress
From endearing Sunrise dork to cranky pants Kev, to malfunctioning technocrat RuddBot...We ask the question on the tip of everyone's tongue:What's the RTW moral of KRudd?
Rehab harmony
On July 1 2010, a national approval framework for workplace rehabilitation providers rolled out across Australia. We talk to ARPA to find out if the choir is happy with the score...
Wrap up: Australia Post
The Senate report into Australia Post’s treatment of injured and ill workers is finally here. What’s the verdict: employee-friendly best practice or LTI-fuelled supervisor scam?
Paying for it
Opinion: David Jones, a cafe by the sea and s_x__l harassment in the workplace
Back to the past
Back pain flare-ups are a normal part of recovery.
Why bother with workplace wellness?
1. Return on investment; 2. Health and productivity for ageing workers...
SPICE up your injury management
The SPICE treatment method is simple and proven since WWI.
"Above and Beyond" in Queensland
We chat with Q-Comp Return to Work unit manager Sonia Minniecon about return to work initiatives in Queensland.
Saying "No" to compensation and "Yes" to control
Lara (not her real name) recovers from brain trauma but eventually quits her job and abandons her claim. Why?
Health and wellbeing in the real world
Trouble convincing your organisation to invest in workplace health and wellbeing? Try these "magic bullet" case studies from the UK...
When doctor-dollars trump sense
Does Australia have anything to learn from an American exposé of the influence drug companies exert on medical research?

Flagging the obstacle course of bad outcomes
From the hot tubs of New Zealand to the bread and butter of a RTW Coordinators work.

Occ Physicians launch health, work policy
Will the Australian government join business, unions and treaters in realising the health benefits of work?
The Black report transforms health, work in UK
The implementation of "Working for a healthier tomorrow" is revolutionising health and work in the UK. What are the key initiatives?
Does RTW Coordinator training fit the bill?
Do Australian training courses provide RTW Coordinators with the skills they need?
The Juggling Act
Return to work coordination and everything else.
Health and work: Boon or bust?
The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine wants you to reconsider the health / work relationship.
Queensland reform package has sting in tail
Hot on the heels of the scarlet letter, institutional and working arrangements are up for review at WorkCover QLD.
RTW Coordinators and treaters have little respect for Workers Compensation authorities. Why?
Off with their heads!
RTW Coordinating in a nut-shell
Ever get looked at like YOU'RE a nut when you try and explain what you do? Here's a party-friendly description of RTW coordination!
The Scarlet Letter
An anonymous tip-off alleging Machiavellian plotting has unions and industry whispering about dirty deeds done anything but dirt cheap at WorkCover Queensland.
When does policy development become wonky?
A brief look at what financial experts have contributed to return to work policy in Victoria.
Position Vacant - RTW Coordinator
What AM I worth? And how does this compare to what prospective employers THINK I'm worth?

Are worker's comp boards serving return to work?
And can you pick the Australian jurisdiction in which board members have NO hands-on experience of workers' comp?

Harmonisation housekeeping
Our advice for legislators? Don't rearrange the lounge suite while there is mildew growing up the walls.
We need an Industry Association, how about it?
Let's get better organised - our response to a reader's request.
Fog of secrecy or blowing off steam?
Unions call the first workers' compensation harmonisation conference a secretive "sham". Is it justified?
Our daily bread
SA WorkCover comes under fire with reports that some injured workers are relying on food parcels to make ends meet.
Can we cooperate for workplace health and wellbeing?
And can the UK show us how it's done?
Dame leads way on health and work
Professor Dame Carol Black presents "Working for a healthier tomorrow" report to World Congress of International Medicine in Australia.
What does research say about Early Intervention?
The first in a series of responses to members' questions, we find that the early bird gets results.
What's happening in Queensland?
We investigate what is really going on in return to work in Queensland - and find very little.

The jurisdictions that win or lose in return to work
An all in comparison finds return to work performance in decline.
Mind over matter?
Injury-attitude impacts RTW more than injury-severity, says Monash researcher. Ask questions and listen to unlock the power of a Positive Mental Attitude.
Better off without comp?
It's time to question whether some workers should be spared the compensation process.
Workplace stress: we can work it out
Causes of stress, and why it will never disappear if we don't encourage the right behaviours.
Sophie's choices (a case study)
A rehab provider who addresses the human impact of injury restarts stalled RTW for a disempowered young worker.
Family, colleagues great support after bad car crash
After being badly injured in a car crash, family and colleagues rallied around to help Peter back to work.
Process SERVING People
We revise our New Years' tattoo with a little help from a new friend: soon-to-be RTWMatters blogger Richard Green
Supervisors up to scratch?
If we can train good superheros (ahem - take yours truly for example) then surely we can train good supervisors.
Other people’s stress
Are stress management programs for managers the key to reducing stress claim costs?
Changing the law
A revamp of workers' comp and RTW will see Victoria going where no Australian jurisdiction has yet been. Michael Simpson of OccCorp talks us through the proposed reforms.
News drop: Australia Post
Who said what to the Senate inquiry into Australia Post's injury management practices? And what can be learnt from these grievances aired in public?
Money, morals and the NZ RTW Monitor
Supporters say NZ's workers' comp system promotes social justice. Detractors say it is financially unviable. What do the stats suggest?
Reconsidering harmonisation
Examining the pros and cons of workers' comp harmonisation causes us to re-think our support for the process.
Hand and glove?
Leadership change in two Australian jurisdictions gets us pondering the relationship between government and WorkCover bureaucracy...
System satisfaction?
Satisfaction with the claims process affects the long term financial, social and health outcomes of compensation recipients. How do we increase it?
Court between a rock and a hard place
Some regard the courts as a necessary evil in injury compensation; but how can they be used to foster good?
Looking for a late new year's resolution?
Forget vowing to give up chocolate, how about resolving to better look after employees in the workplace.
Off the clock, on the job
White-collar Australians are hooked on unpaid overtime. Are employers responsible? And what are the implications for workplace health and wellbeing?
Nurses lead way in RTW
The Nurses Return To Work in Hospitals Project yielded gems. One insight: forgetting about RTW financials helps the bottom line.
Bullying and harrassment
Workplace bullies are often workplace big fish. Combating the problem requires a top down approach.
Inquiry goes postal
The Senate inquiry into Australia Post should provide important lessons in OHS, HR, RTW and LTIFR
'I couldn't wait to get back.'
A case study in motivated RTW from an injured labourer with special incentives for getting back to normal life.
Divided data does not conquer in NSW
The lack of a centralised RTW data source is disabling RTW in NSW
Update: WorkSafe Vic
Hold onto your hats! We've learnt that WorkSafe Vic plans to stick with the RTW Monitor Survey.
Spooked by chronic pain?
SuperDoc talks you through celebrity gossip 101 - and unsheets the spooks of chronic pain
Trust and WorkSafe
Reaction to return to work approaches in Victoria
Down the rabbit hole...
What can be done to prevent ordinary and extraordinary patients falling down the rabbit hole of workers' comp?
Spanner in the return to works
Are over-worked, inexperienced and uncompassionate insurer staff jeopardising RTW outcomes?
Y'all come back now, y'hear?
Whether you're in OZ or the good ol' US of A, RTW is all about the love...
Victoria not victorious in RTW
RTWMatters looks at the declining Victorian results in the RTW Monitor and finds the principles of RTW missing.
Good RTW processes: What's in it for ME?
Six reasons why getting return to work right is worth YOUR time and effort.
South Australia heads north
The positive spikes in SA's once below-par workers' comp and RTW rates is cause for celebration - and observation. Let's learn from their turnaround.
Love, Imagination and Workers' Comp
Listening to workers' perspectives on the system can be painful, but might help us move beyond blame and suspicion.
Durable RTW - was life meant to be this hard?
Why are the numbers of people making return to work more difficult increasing?
Stamping out LTIs to post a profit
RTW Matters weighs in on the people issues of RTW @ Australia Post.
We are killing Joe
Understanding how 'the system' can trip up the people it is supposed to help is the first thread in a safety net.
Our take on the RTW performance of Comcare
With Australia's safest workplaces, is it good management or good luck that puts them ahead?
A taste of what's to come...
Get warmed up for the workers' comp debate with the ACTU's take on OHS harmonisation.
Looking for inspiration?
Comcare's new CEO Paul O'Connor has a vision: "inclusion" and "integration" for workers' comp and return to work.
It's a wrap: WorkCover SA Conference '09
We get the low down on the special guests and the conference pests...
What's in a name?
Terminology can dictate procedure - so what about replacing "disability" with "injury" to keep stakeholders focused on rehabilitation?
What do you bring to work?
Not your roll or leftover pasta - but what attitude or outlook do you bring? Find out why it's a question worth asking.
RTW Monitor Summary Pt 3: why are RTW rates low?
Only 30% of injured employees reported developing a RTW Plan AND being given assistance to follow the plan.
Functional Capacity Evaluations: the pitfalls.
A look at the role of the professional in explaining the results of an FCE.
The Principles underlying Return To Work
Written by the members of Return To Work Matters.
Workplace health: choice or obligation?
A Gov taskforce wants a percentage of payroll devoted to workplace health and wellbeing programs. Should it be mandatory?
RTW Monitor Summary - Part Two
Return to work outcomes in most jurisdictions have been declining since before the Global Financial Crisis began. Why?
RTW Monitor Summary - Part One
The annual RTW Monitor is out - RTW Matters summarises it's findings.
I flew over the cuckoo's nest
Looking at what does and doesn't work in other systems might seem futile - but comparisons can make for powerful lessons. Here are some I flew back with from the US.
Gillard going it alone on partnership culture?
Minister Julia Gillard has announced a new partnership approach to industrial relations. Can she expect an uphill struggle - and what's the message here for RTW coordinators?
The human face of WorkCover SA: burns victim returns to work
A former truck driver returns to work after suffering horrific acid burns to 20% of his body. He's one of the 34,000 workers injured on the job in South Australia each year.
The possible consequences of excessive workloads
Did Rudd's 70 hour weeks drive Grech to OzCar?
Decision-making: a job for sharing
There's no such thing as too many chefs in the problem-solving kitchen. Share for improved RTW.
60 Summits Project hits Oz
60 Summits promotes a new model for RTW with 16 specific recommendations; in the lead-up to an Australian visit Jennifer Christian, the project's leader, gives insight into how it works.
A fraudulent slip?
A Vic Ombudsman's report into "dodgy" doctors exploiting WorkSafe loopholes has saved employers $$. Has it also jeopardised RTW relationships?
Does workers' compensation affect suicide rates?
If you're in vocational rehab you should be concerned about lack of data on work injury-suicide link, says grief support provider Creative Ministries Network.
Are conditions rife for poor RTW at your workplace?
A new report shows most working Australians are not enjoying a work-life balance - if your employees are among them your workplace is probably inhibiting rather encouraging RTW.
Stress. The RSI of This Decade
Do you need XRay vision to see injuries that have no visible signs? Superdoc says No.
Are Docs Asking the Right Questions?
To treat the patient we need to know the patient
Stick at it: stress wasn't eliminated in a day
Stress isn't budging - so we need to work harder to reduce it. Here's a summary of tips to combat the problem 91% of us face.
The ABC of CBT: Part Three
In which we ask: Who would benefit from CBT? How can you broach the subject of therapy in the workplace? How long does CBT take?
The ABC of CBT: Part Two
In which we - and injured worker Ms W - learn that when you change your behaviour, you also change your thoughts, beliefs, feelings...and rehab prospects.
The ABC of CBT: Part One
In which we - and injured worker Ms W - learn that 'C' is for 'Cognitive,' and that thoughts aren't facts.
Are we asking the right questions?
There's more than meets the eye when it comes to patients at risk of poor return to work results.
Principles underlying RTW - Draft 3
Love that worker!
Return to work coordinators - Revealing the gold
RTW coordinators make a huge difference, but how do we find, develop and promote the right people for the job.
The economic costs of a heart attack
Heart attacks result in $A3.8 billion in lost productivity
Looking for the RTW peace dove?
Believe it or not, when conflict arises in RTW there ARE ways of dealing with it...
Believe and You Will Cope
'Self-efficacy' is more than just an odd-sounding word. Superdoc explains who needs self-efficacy skills - and why it's in your interest to help develop them.
The terrible two: UNDER-use and OVER-care
Ever wondered why some musculoskeletal injuries don't resolve as quickly as they should?
Compensation: More painful than surgery?
There is a correlation between compensation and poorer surgical outcomes. What can be done?
Don't keep doctors dancing in the dark
Assisting difficult RTW is even harder when the treating practitioner doesn't have all the facts.
Compensation or Rehabilitation? What impact does a word have?
There was a Door to which I found no Key: There was a Veil through which I could not see: Some little Talk awhile of Me and Thee There seemed and then no more of Thee and Me. - Omar Khayyam
What happens when you mix fatigue and poor culture?
A workplace culture emergency. Just ask Ambulance Victoria.

The Principles Underlying RTW - Draft 2
Is it 'compensation' or 'rehabilitation'?
Think scary RTW cases come out of the blue? Think again.
Identify high risk cases BEFORE they bite.
Return to work. Return to life.
A new media campaign launched by WorkSafe Vic
The Principles underlying RTW
The principles underlying successful RTW are universal, but we think their application differs depending on the part you play.
Making the most of a referral for pain management
What does it mean and how to make the most of it.
How Victoria Police put a stop to poor performance
One strategy improved Vic Police's poor workers' comp results - getting to know it could help your workplace too.
Who is accountable for a return to health and activity?
Is freedom a responsibility of others?
Silence speaks louder...
A sad and sometimes sordid tale of how politics, depression and all too familiar organisational silence contributed to failed RTW.
Angry ambos run on empty
Victorian paramedics are fatigued and striking for the first time in 36 years. What's gone wrong in their workplace and how can it be fixed?
Why we worry about workplace culture
A tragic and shameful story from WA should get us all thinking about the norms in our workplaces.
What's work got to do...got to do with it?
Returning to work is even harder if the work itself feels meaningless. What makes a job meaningful?
Debriefing after Safe Work Australia's first meeting
A slow beginning or hitting the ground running? Read this and make up your own mind.
Drinking and RTW: A sticky wicket.
Andrew Symonds' drinking presented Cricket Australia with a big RTW challenge. Did poor management lead to his downfall?
On claims management and the Victorian Workcover Authority
Not good enough: comment on a report by the Victorian Auditor General's Office that states loud and clear.
Motivation - the juice, just gimme the juice.
The what, where and why of motivation, distilled to dot points.
Safe Work Australia gets a Chair but it's no time for sitting around
Is Tom Phillips the man to lead harmonisation in Australia?
How is exposure to trauma affecting you and your employees?
There is a way of minimising the adverse effects trauma workers are exposed to - start by acknowledging "vicarious trauma".
Harmonisation perspectives: ACCI and the ACTU
Are employer and worker organisations singing the same song?
Things have gotta change: back pain and why our thinking is all wrong
When it comes to back pain, we don't have the right vocabulary - and we need it. The right words can inform the correct way of thinking.
Mild traumatic Brain Injury - a case study
Just over two years ago I was in a hurry. I'd been to a store and was returning home to entertain some visitors. Clutching my purchases in one hand, I opened the car door.....
Not working is bad for the heart and the head. There's proof.
UK research evidence shows that risk of death for workless people is 20% higher.
Harmonised workers' comp: a SWAB or a solution?
Safe Work Australia is up and running but the Safe Work Australia Bill is back in Parliament. What's going on?
Retail recession + squatting scandals = "GrannyGate" for Myer
A case study in RTW and bad PR
All bad news or incentive to improve?
The financial crisis provides employers opportunity to support employees to better health - but there are pitfalls to avoid.
Grrrrrrrr
Who suffers when people dud the system?
Are you happy with your working relationships?
Workers' Comp has a high staff turnaround, so a working relationship still great after 11 years is worth attention.
Tired of workplace health wannabes?
Every workplace has health champions and health underdogs. Motivating the latter can be a real challenge...
Fatigue is the biggest threat to a person's safety
A new perspective on an established hazard
An open letter to the Heads of Australian Workers' Compensation Authorities.
How one woman changed Australian culture and why RTW can profit from her example.
The power of storytelling
The impact of 'patient narrative' - first-hand stories of illness and injury - shouldn't be underestimated. (Includes video footage.)
It's about people.
What is the real impact of return to work programmes in Australia?
Australian workers' compensation in these difficult times.
Could auditing the authorities help fix the system?
Musculoskeletal hazards: Why ticking the box gets a red cross
Assessing risk isn't about ticks and crosses in a box. So why do Australian workplaces tend to rely on manual handling checklists?
Riding the see-saw of workers' comp costs
During recession, claim numbers go down but claim duration goes up. What happens to costs?
Workers' comp and recession: Expect a decline in rate of claims
Unless plant closures and mass lay-offs are planned, workers' comp claims decline during recessions.
Can Australia afford to lose $57.5 billion a year through work-related illness and injury?
What role do compensation authorities play in helping people back to work?
Cosying up to compensation? Chances are, you'll take a hit to your health and your wallet
What's good about work-related injury and illness that costs $57.5 billion p.a..........? Nothing.
Is a person capable of doing the job - are we capable of assessing this?
How do doctors assess a person's ability to work?
Patient styles, distress, and what they get
How patients communicate has an important influence on the treatment they receive.
Tests vs Symptoms - which wins?
Is it useful to know the pathology of a wrinkle?

Work disability research - why bother?
Getting real with advice for time off work
Let's put some evidence behind sick certificates
Superdoc (11) - Claims staff turnover? No surprises when you think about it
Job turnover in claims staff is high; if staff felt they could make a positive difference, they'd be more likely to hang around.
New Zealand's Bronnie Thompson looks at the next steps back to work - looking broadly at the path forward.
Two cases demonstrate the importance of thinking about the big picture in return to work
Superdoc (10) - Rehabilitate or terminate - who cares?
Financial rewards and KPIs as perverse incentives.
Economic Decline and Workplace Health Initiatives
Health and the workplace - an international issue
Superdoc (9) - Back pain and investigations
An investigation won't tell us what we usually need to know about back pain - so why do we often jump so quickly into it?
Participative Planning
Workplace culture glue and review
Review - WorkSafe Victoria 2008/09 Corporate Plan Strategy 2012 - Year 2
"In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." - Yogi Berra
Superdoc (8) - Back pain and the 'fear avoidance model'
A lot has ch-ch-changed recently, but our Superhero Superdoc is back on back pain and the importance of not being afraid of it.
OHS and Return-To-Work
On developing a good relationship with OHS Managers.
All campers should be this happy
Have a look at this letter from an employee of one workplace doing fantastic things for injured workers and their RTW - now why aren't letters like these more common?
Superdoc (7) - Fighting fear and back pain
Fear and back pain make a destructive combination - our local superhero talks about why.
What creates positive workplace culture?
Trust and control
SuperDoc (6) - Issues around causation
A look at the issues surrounding work causation ... and the funny questions people ask superheros.
SuperDoc (5) - On partnerships with doctors
Partnerships between doctors and the workplace are worth working on.
SuperDoc (4) - Communicating with doctors
How to Communicate with Doctors (or Yacking with Quacks)
SuperDoc (3) - On the importance of listening - and saying no.
Super Doc gives a super-spiel about the importance of listening - and saying no
SuperDoc (2) - On medical certificates & common sense
On medical certificates, flexibility and common sense
SuperDoc (1) - On not treating doctors as the Great Decider
Better than a blog - it's a monologue! Not the Great Decider, who is this guy?
When truth falls victim to manners
First in a regular / irregular column by:
Why we publish Return To Work Matters
Who does the hard work and why they should be supported.

What's it all about?
The what and why of Return To Work Matters
We are the most important medicine
Partnership is a fundamental element of the road to recovery.
Self effacing, warm, always positive Mary Wyatt is a consummate professional dedicated to return to work.
'It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming.' - John Steinbeck
Our mysterious medical superhero in tights
Kevin Jones is an OHS consultant, commentator and freelance writer.
Her main interest includes the factors that complicate return to work, pain and anxiety, and confidence in motivation for self management, and resilience.

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