This year – 2018 – is the tenth year anniversary of RTWMatters. We’ve been an independent, authoritative and sometimes cheeky industry voice for a decade now. Achieving this milestone has led us to reflect on what we’ve achieved so far, as well as our aims for the future.

We’ve been revisioning our vision and our objectives, and we’d like to share these with you.

We’ve organised our thoughts into three chunks of information:

• What we do;
• Why it matters; and
• Who we are.

Below, we talk you through each of these items in some detail. If you’d prefer to opt for the bite-sized version, please check out our more succinct offering via the “About Us” page.

What we do

We offer evidence-based insights, up-to-date research summaries, tools, case studies and advice on all matters return to work, including workplace culture, health and wellbeing.

Our fortnightly e-newsletter has articles, webinar recordings, and interviews with industry figures. Around 15% of our content is freely available online; subscribers have access to the entire archive via our website.

We know our readers—RTW coordinators, insurance case managers, rehabilitation providers, HR professionals, medical practitioners and the odd (no pun intended) policy maker—and we create content with their needs in mind. We keep return to work professionals informed, engaged, validated, connected, motivated and sometimes even entertained.

Operating independent of employers and government authorities, we’re free to challenge the status quo and focus on achieving good, practical outcomes.

Why it matters

The field of return to work is complex. RTW professionals must navigate many systems: workers’ compensation, workplace injury management and insurers’ case management as well as the systems used by health professionals and rehabilitation providers. Within these systems, people tend to use different jargon, and there can be a sense of competing interests.

In fact, research evidence and industry experience show that best outcomes are achieved when all players work toward a shared goal: the health, wellbeing and recovery of workers.

When processes serve people, when there is collaboration and good faith:

• Employers, insurers and workers’ compensation schemes benefit financially;
• Workers are more likely to regain health and productivity; and
• Health professionals and rehabilitation providers see more successes.

In a field where conflict can trump cooperation, we help our subscribers achieve win / win outcomes – saving money and improving lives.

Who we are

The driving force behind Return to Work Matters is Dr Mary Wyatt, an occupational physician with more than 20 years’ experience in the field.

Mary’s expertise is formidable.

She’s a qualified medical doctor with postgraduate training in occupational health, public health and musculoskeletal medicine. As an adjunct lecturer at Monash University for the last ten years, she’s been teaching GPs about return to work, and training the next generation of occupational specialists.

Mary knows workplaces. In fact, she’s conducted more than 2,000 worksite visits, reviewing jobs and duties across multiple industries and advising on return to work duties and management. She’s also completed countless Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs), undertaken on behalf of workers, employers and insurers / claims’ agents.

Government ministers and the Australian Medical Association have both benefited from Mary’s advice. During her stint as the Chair of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s (AFEOM’s) Policy and Advocacy Committee, she initiated the Health Benefits of Work agenda. Subsequent leaders have embraced this initiative – you'll find the latest iteration here.

And – as if all that wasn’t achievement enough! – Mary is an award-winning researcher. Her many publications have deepened our understanding of back pain, the medical and financial benefits of employer support for injured workers, and the impact of supervisors on return to work outcomes.

Although Mary’s humble enough to be uncomfortable with all this talk of her achievements and success, the rest of the RTWMatters team want our readers to know that she is a genuine authority in the field. You can trust what you read here. Mary’s got the goods.

If you’d like to know more about the rest of the team – including general manager Cheryl Griffiths, editor Gabrielle Lis, subscription manager Fiona Elliot and administrative coordinator Mellisa Griffiths – please check out our Profiles page.

Finally, thanks for reading. If you’re already a subscriber, stay tuned for another ten years of insights, cut-through, practical advice and support. If you’re not yet part of the Return to Work Matters community, you can subscribe here. As part of our anniversary celebrations, we're offering new subscribers and renewing subscribers 15% off the annual fee if they sign up by September 1, 2018. Use the promo code 10Years to join the party, and feel free to share the invite with colleagues.