Research Updates

This page lists all research updates available on Return to Work Matters.

Research is chosen for review based on quality of the evidence and its practical value in return to work.

Requests to undertake reviews of research on particular subjects are welcome.

Click the ‘Topics’ button below to drill down into all articles and research updates on your topic of interest.

Worker perspectives on back pain, heavy manual labour and sickness absence

contributorRTWMatters team

Danish researchers conclude that ergonomics training can cause confusion and stress, while...

Protective powers of supervisor safety support

contributorGabrielle Lis

Worker survey says supervisors act as a safety net when other aspects of the working environment...

For injured workers, are insurers the rock and treaters the hard place?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Workers view insurer / healthcare provider relationships as adversarial and hamstrung – but they...

Healing or harming?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Workers across the world describe similar worries, frustrations and difficulties with the health...

Geography of RTW and mental health

contributorGabrielle Lis

Do workers in some Australian jurisdictions take more time off work for a mental health claim...

Supervisors who react with support can help injured workers return to the job

contributorInstitute for Work and Health

Study examining return to work and social support finds importance of supervisors’ first...

Questioning the impact of compensation stress on health

contributorGabrielle Lis

What aspects of compensation systems cause stress? How common is it? Does compensation-related...

Putting the "social" back in biopsychosocial

contributorRTWMatters team

What does the international evidence say about the impact of compensation systems, health care...

Reforming risky systems

contributorGabrielle Lis

American researchers think we can design worker’s compensation systems that promote occupational...

RTW intervention supergroup

contributorRTWMatters team

International research says workplace interventions work best when they tick multiple boxes:...

Copycat, absent

contributorGabrielle Lis

A small proportion of employees imitate co-worker absence. Chucking a sickie is less appealing...

Whose support matters, and when?

contributorRTWMatters team

How does pre-existing workplace social support impact return to work after injury? Do supervisor...

Mindfulness intervention helps call centre workers

contributorGabrielle Lis

Stressed-out call centre workers see persistent benefits from an 8-week meditation program -...

Low-stress interactions matter more for longer-term claimants

contributorGabrielle Lis

What’s more important for durable RTW: RTW planning or the stressfulness of interactions between...

Relaxation saves sleep from rude supervisors and co-workers

contributorGabrielle Lis

Workplace incivility and poorer sleep go hand in hand - unless you know how to switch off from...

Sleep, burnout and RTW

contributorGabrielle Lis

For employees with burnout, recovery and return to work is possible. What role does sleep play?

High demands + low control = depression, anxiety

contributorRTWMatters team

New evidence strengthens link between job strain and common mental health disorders, with...

Identifying and managing psychosocial risks

contributorRTWMatters team

In this 5 minute guide, we give you the dot-point version of research into psychosocial risks...

Brief psychosocial screeners trump GPs and physios

contributorGabrielle Lis

Psychosocial risk factors better predict delayed recovery than do injury characteristics. How...

Supervisor training wasted without support from the top?

contributorRTWMatters team

Before your organisation invests in supervisor training, ask whether the organisational culture...

Out-muscle depression with resistance exercise

contributorGabrielle Lis

Exercises that build muscle and power also reduce symptoms of depression. You do not need to...

Mapping Australian systems of income support

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

A ground-breaking report on Australian income support systems shows why everyone from life...

Introducing ROSES

contributorGabrielle Lis

In the search to find a screening tool to assist workers with MSDs and common mental health...

Do opioids for acute MSD pain help RTW?

contributorRTWMatters team

Research seeking answers turned up more questions instead...

Individuality, work and PTSD

contributorRTWMatters team

Employment outcomes are better for PTSD veterans when individual skills, abilities and...

Why wellbeing metrics matter

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Tracking wellbeing is not only possible, it helps with RTW and financial performance. Here is a...

Who is afraid of RTW?

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Workers have (sometimes valid) fears of re-injury upon return to work. How can employers and...

Bully me, bully my team

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

People in a team where bullying occurs are more likely to have long periods of time off work,...

Work-family conflict hurts kids

contributorGabrielle Lis

Authoritative Australian research shows that the mental health of children suffers when parents...

One LBP intervention does not fit all

contributorRTWMatters team

Is there such a thing as too much early intervention for workers with lower back injuries?

How do workers decide when to return?

contributorRTWMatters team

Top ten considerations that underlie decisions about the timing of RTW.

Workers have perfect families, right?

contributorRTWMatters team

Compensation systems idealise families, expecting too much family support for injured workers...

Can mind body treatments cure chronic pain?

contributorGabrielle Lis

New approaches have promise, but it is too soon to tell sufferers that a pain-free life is on...

Mental health and wellbeing costs of FIFO for workers, families

contributorGabrielle Lis

Fly in fly out workers and their partners struggle to reconcile working life and home life,...

Psychological treatment reduces post-surgical pain

contributorRTWMatters team

Patients feel less acute, post-surgical pain when they take part in a psychological intervention...

Is supervisor confidence key to mental health contact?

contributorRTWMatters team

Training makes managers more confident in their communication skills and more likely to get in...

Work motivation and chronic disease

contributorRTWMatters team

What do people with chronic disease value about work? What motivates them to keep working and...

Childhood adversity at work

contributorGabrielle Lis

Adverse childhood experiences impact performance at work and are likely to impact recovery from...

The test you do not want to ACE

contributorGabrielle Lis

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common, and can wreak havoc on physical and...

Where are the mental health nuts and bolts?

contributorRTWMatters team

Mental health capabilities, culture, policies and procedures are lacking compared to leadership...