Gabrielle Lis | An Italian entrepreneur has turned the Umbrian village of Solomeo into both a fashion factory, and an extraordinary experiment in workplace health and wellbeing.
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Gabrielle Lis | 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?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Getting in touch with connectedness
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Tom Barton | The burden of suicide in Australia is comparable with other major, better understood chronic diseases.
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Gabrielle Lis and Dr Mary Wyatt | Etymology - the archaeology of words - sometimes uncovers a contemporary resonance in ancient digs.
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SuperDoc | SuperDoc reminisces about his time in the Courts and asks, "Do judges have ANY idea what they're doing?"
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Gabrielle Lis | 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?
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Gabrielle Lis | 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...
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Gabrielle Lis | 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?
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Gabrielle Lis | Opinion: David Jones, a cafe by the sea and s_x__l harassment in the workplace
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Back pain flare-ups are a normal part of recovery.
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Garbielle Lis and Tom Barton | 1. Return on investment; 2. Health and productivity for ageing workers...
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Dr Mary Wyatt and Tom Barton | The SPICE treatment method is simple and proven since WWI.
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Tom Barton | We chat with Q-Comp Return to Work unit manager Sonia Minniecon about return to work initiatives in Queensland.
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Lara Forth | Lara (not her real name) recovers from brain trauma but eventually quits her job and abandons her claim. Why?
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Gabrielle Lis | Trouble convincing your organisation to invest in workplace health and wellbeing? Try these "magic bullet" case studies from the UK...
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Gabrielle Lis | Does Australia have anything to learn from an American exposé of the influence drug companies exert on medical research?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | From the hot tubs of New Zealand to the bread and butter of a RTW Coordinators work.
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Gabrielle Lis | Will the Australian government join business, unions and treaters in realising the health benefits of work?
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Tom Barton | The implementation of "Working for a healthier tomorrow" is revolutionising health and work in the UK. What are the key initiatives?
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Gabrielle Lis | Do Australian training courses provide RTW Coordinators with the skills they need?
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Fayth Carrell | Return to work coordination and everything else.
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Gabrielle Lis | The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine wants you to reconsider the health / work relationship.
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Gabrielle Lis | Hot on the heels of the scarlet letter, institutional and working arrangements are up for review at WorkCover QLD.
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Robert Hughes | Off with their heads!
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Julia Suban | 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!
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Gabrielle Lis | An anonymous tip-off alleging Machiavellian plotting has unions and industry whispering about dirty deeds done anything but dirt cheap at WorkCover Queensland.
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Robert Hughes | A brief look at what financial experts have contributed to return to work policy in Victoria.
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Julia Suban | What AM I worth? And how does this compare to what prospective employers THINK I'm worth?
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Tom Barton | And can you pick the Australian jurisdiction in which board members have NO hands-on experience of workers' comp?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Our advice for legislators? Don't rearrange the lounge suite while there is mildew growing up the walls.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Let's get better organised - our response to a reader's request.
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Kevin Jones | Unions call the first workers' compensation harmonisation conference a secretive "sham". Is it justified?
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Tom Barton | SA WorkCover comes under fire with reports that some injured workers are relying on food parcels to make ends meet.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | And can the UK show us how it's done?
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Tom Barton | Professor Dame Carol Black presents "Working for a healthier tomorrow" report to World Congress of International Medicine in Australia.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | The first in a series of responses to members' questions, we find that the early bird gets results.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | We investigate what is really going on in return to work in Queensland - and find very little.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | An all in comparison finds return to work performance in decline.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Injury-attitude impacts RTW more than injury-severity, says Monash researcher. Ask questions and listen to unlock the power of a Positive Mental Attitude.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | It's time to question whether some workers should be spared the compensation process.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Causes of stress, and why it will never disappear if we don't encourage the right behaviours.
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Pam Garton, Abilita Services | A rehab provider who addresses the human impact of injury restarts stalled RTW for a disempowered young worker.
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Heather Millar, writer, WorkCover | After being badly injured in a car crash, family and colleagues rallied around to help Peter back to work.
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RTWMatters team | We revise our New Years' tattoo with a little help from a new friend: soon-to-be RTWMatters blogger Richard Green
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SuperDoc | If we can train good superheros (ahem - take yours truly for example) then surely we can train good supervisors.
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SuperDoc | Are stress management programs for managers the key to reducing stress claim costs?
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Gabrielle Lis | 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.
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Gabrielle Lis | 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?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Supporters say NZ's workers' comp system promotes social justice. Detractors say it is financially unviable. What do the stats suggest?
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Gabrielle Lis | Examining the pros and cons of workers' comp harmonisation causes us to re-think our support for the process.
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Gabrielle Lis and Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Leadership change in two Australian jurisdictions gets us pondering the relationship between government and WorkCover bureaucracy...
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Gabrielle Lis | Satisfaction with the claims process affects the long term financial, social and health outcomes of compensation recipients. How do we increase it?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Some regard the courts as a necessary evil in injury compensation; but how can they be used to foster good?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Forget vowing to give up chocolate, how about resolving to better look after employees in the workplace.
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Gabrielle Lis | White-collar Australians are hooked on unpaid overtime. Are employers responsible? And what are the implications for workplace health and wellbeing?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | The Nurses Return To Work in Hospitals Project yielded gems. One insight: forgetting about RTW financials helps the bottom line.
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Greg Barton, Director, Insight Services Group | Workplace bullies are often workplace big fish. Combating the problem requires a top down approach.
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Kevin Jones | The Senate inquiry into Australia Post should provide important lessons in OHS, HR, RTW and LTIFR
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Heather Millar, writer, WorkCover | A case study in motivated RTW from an injured labourer with special incentives for getting back to normal life.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | The lack of a centralised RTW data source is disabling RTW in NSW
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Hold onto your hats! We've learnt that WorkSafe Vic plans to stick with the RTW Monitor Survey.
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SuperDoc | SuperDoc talks you through celebrity gossip 101 - and unsheets the spooks of chronic pain
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Reaction to return to work approaches in Victoria
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SuperDoc | What can be done to prevent ordinary and extraordinary patients falling down the rabbit hole of workers' comp?
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Gabrielle Lis | Are over-worked, inexperienced and uncompassionate insurer staff jeopardising RTW outcomes?
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Mary Harris | Whether you're in OZ or the good ol' US of A, RTW is all about the love...
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Dr Mary Wyatt | RTWMatters looks at the declining Victorian results in the RTW Monitor and finds the principles of RTW missing.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Six reasons why getting return to work right is worth YOUR time and effort.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | 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.
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Gabrielle Lis | Listening to workers' perspectives on the system can be painful, but might help us move beyond blame and suspicion.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Why are the numbers of people making return to work more difficult increasing?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | RTW Matters weighs in on the people issues of RTW @ Australia Post.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Understanding how 'the system' can trip up the people it is supposed to help is the first thread in a safety net.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | With Australia's safest workplaces, is it good management or good luck that puts them ahead?
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Kevin Jones | Get warmed up for the workers' comp debate with the ACTU's take on OHS harmonisation.
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Kevin Jones | Comcare's new CEO Paul O'Connor has a vision: "inclusion" and "integration" for workers' comp and return to work.
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Kevin Jones | We get the low down on the special guests and the conference pests...
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Kevin Jones | Terminology can dictate procedure - so what about replacing "disability" with "injury" to keep stakeholders focused on rehabilitation?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Not your roll or leftover pasta - but what attitude or outlook do you bring? Find out why it's a question worth asking.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Only 30% of injured employees reported developing a RTW Plan AND being given assistance to follow the plan.
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Bronnie Thompson | A look at the role of the professional in explaining the results of an FCE.
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Robert Hughes | Written by the members of Return To Work Matters.
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Gabrielle Lis | A Gov taskforce wants a percentage of payroll devoted to workplace health and wellbeing programs. Should it be mandatory?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Return to work outcomes in most jurisdictions have been declining since before the Global Financial Crisis began. Why?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | The annual RTW Monitor is out - RTW Matters summarises it's findings.
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SuperDoc | 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.
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Gabrielle Lis and Anna Kelsey-Sugg | 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?
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Heather Millar, writer, WorkCover | 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.
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Kevin Jones | Did Rudd's 70 hour weeks drive Grech to OzCar?
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SuperDoc | There's no such thing as too many chefs in the problem-solving kitchen. Share for improved RTW.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | 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.
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Gabrielle Lis | A Vic Ombudsman's report into "dodgy" doctors exploiting WorkSafe loopholes has saved employers $$. Has it also jeopardised RTW relationships?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | 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.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | 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.
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SuperDoc | Do you need XRay vision to see injuries that have no visible signs? Superdoc says No.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | To treat the patient we need to know the patient
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | 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.
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Gabrielle Lis | 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?
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Gabrielle Lis | 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.
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Gabrielle Lis | In which we - and injured worker Ms W - learn that 'C' is for 'Cognitive,' and that thoughts aren't facts.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | There's more than meets the eye when it comes to patients at risk of poor return to work results.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Love that worker!
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Dr Mary Wyatt | RTW coordinators make a huge difference, but how do we find, develop and promote the right people for the job.
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Kevin Jones | Heart attacks result in $A3.8 billion in lost productivity
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Gabrielle Lis | Believe it or not, when conflict arises in RTW there ARE ways of dealing with it...
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SuperDoc | '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.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Ever wondered why some musculoskeletal injuries don't resolve as quickly as they should?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | There is a correlation between compensation and poorer surgical outcomes. What can be done?
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SuperDoc | Assisting difficult RTW is even harder when the treating practitioner doesn't have all the facts.
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Robert Hughes | 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
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Gabrielle Lis and Anna Kelsey-Sugg | A workplace culture emergency. Just ask Ambulance Victoria.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Is it 'compensation' or 'rehabilitation'?
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Gabrielle Lis | Identify high risk cases BEFORE they bite.
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Cheryl Griffiths | A new media campaign launched by WorkSafe Vic
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Dr Mary Wyatt | The principles underlying successful RTW are universal, but we think their application differs depending on the part you play.
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Bronnie Thompson | What does it mean and how to make the most of it.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | One strategy improved Vic Police's poor workers' comp results - getting to know it could help your workplace too.
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Robert Hughes | Is freedom a responsibility of others?
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Gabrielle Lis | A sad and sometimes sordid tale of how politics, depression and all too familiar organisational silence contributed to failed RTW.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg and Gabrielle Lis | 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?
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Gabrielle Lis and Anna Kelsey-Sugg | A tragic and shameful story from WA should get us all thinking about the norms in our workplaces.
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Gabrielle Lis | Returning to work is even harder if the work itself feels meaningless. What makes a job meaningful?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | A slow beginning or hitting the ground running? Read this and make up your own mind.
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Gabrielle Lis | Andrew Symonds' drinking presented Cricket Australia with a big RTW challenge. Did poor management lead to his downfall?
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Robert Hughes | Not good enough: comment on a report by the Victorian Auditor General's Office that states loud and clear.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | The what, where and why of motivation, distilled to dot points.
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Gabrielle Lis | Is Tom Phillips the man to lead harmonisation in Australia?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | There is a way of minimising the adverse effects trauma workers are exposed to - start by acknowledging "vicarious trauma".
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Gabrielle Lis | Are employer and worker organisations singing the same song?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | 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.
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Bronnie Thompson | 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.....
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Robert Hughes | UK research evidence shows that risk of death for workless people is 20% higher.
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Gabrielle Lis and Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Safe Work Australia is up and running but the Safe Work Australia Bill is back in Parliament. What's going on?
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Gabrielle Lis | A case study in RTW and bad PR
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Gabrielle Lis | The financial crisis provides employers opportunity to support employees to better health - but there are pitfalls to avoid.
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Robert Hughes | Who suffers when people dud the system?
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | Workers' Comp has a high staff turnaround, so a working relationship still great after 11 years is worth attention.
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Gabrielle Lis | Every workplace has health champions and health underdogs. Motivating the latter can be a real challenge...
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Kevin Jones | A new perspective on an established hazard
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Robert Hughes | How one woman changed Australian culture and why RTW can profit from her example.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | The impact of 'patient narrative' - first-hand stories of illness and injury - shouldn't be underestimated. (Includes video footage.)
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Robert Hughes | What is the real impact of return to work programmes in Australia?
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Kevin Jones | Could auditing the authorities help fix the system?
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Gabrielle Lis | Assessing risk isn't about ticks and crosses in a box. So why do Australian workplaces tend to rely on manual handling checklists?
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Gabrielle Lis | During recession, claim numbers go down but claim duration goes up. What happens to costs?
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Gabrielle Lis | Unless plant closures and mass lay-offs are planned, workers' comp claims decline during recessions.
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Robert Hughes | What role do compensation authorities play in helping people back to work?
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Robert Hughes | What's good about work-related injury and illness that costs $57.5 billion p.a..........? Nothing.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | How do doctors assess a person's ability to work?
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Dr Mary Wyatt | How patients communicate has an important influence on the treatment they receive.
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Is it useful to know the pathology of a wrinkle?
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Dr Mary Wyatt |
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Dr Mary Wyatt | Let's put some evidence behind sick certificates
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SuperDoc | Job turnover in claims staff is high; if staff felt they could make a positive difference, they'd be more likely to hang around.
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Bronnie Thompson | Two cases demonstrate the importance of thinking about the big picture in return to work
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SuperDoc | Financial rewards and KPIs as perverse incentives.
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Kevin Jones | Health and the workplace - an international issue
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SuperDoc | 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?
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Robert Hughes | Workplace culture glue and review
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Robert Hughes | "In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." - Yogi Berra
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SuperDoc | 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.
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Kevin Jones | On developing a good relationship with OHS Managers.
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Anna Kelsey-Sugg | 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?
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SuperDoc | Fear and back pain make a destructive combination - our local superhero talks about why.
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Robert Hughes | Trust and control
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SuperDoc | A look at the issues surrounding work causation ... and the funny questions people ask superheros.
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SuperDoc | Partnerships between doctors and the workplace are worth working on.
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SuperDoc | How to Communicate with Doctors (or Yacking with Quacks)
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SuperDoc | Super Doc gives a super-spiel about the importance of listening - and saying no
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SuperDoc | On medical certificates, flexibility and common sense
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SuperDoc | Better than a blog - it's a monologue! Not the Great Decider, who is this guy?
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Robert Hughes | First in a regular / irregular column by:
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Robert Hughes | Who does the hard work and why they should be supported.
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Robert Hughes | The what and why of Return To Work Matters
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Robert Hughes | Partnership is a fundamental element of the road to recovery.
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