Articles

This page lists all practical and feature articles available on RTWMatters. From top ten tips, how to guides and case studies, through to webinar recordings and video interviews with industry experts.

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

Click the ‘Quick Guides’ button for practical bit sized guides that give you a sound basic knowledge base.

Webinar recording: Case management - Early identification of people at high risk for work disability

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

An occupational physician's guide to identifying and supporting high-risk individuals and common...

An introduction to self-compassion

contributorGabrielle Lis

A look at the emerging evidence on a meditation-based approach that promises relief from...

Three ways RTW professionals can manage emotional labour

contributorGabrielle Lis

Burnt out? Dissatisfied? Struggling to manage your emotions 9 to 5? Emotional labour expert Dr...

Webinar recording: Good work design – it is in the DNA of a human-centred organisation

contributorDr Sara Pazell

Dr Sara Pazell discusses how a human-centred organisation is committed to work and job design...

How employers can help cancer survivors return to work – based on my own experience

contributorStephen Bevan, Lancaster University

A cancer survivor who works for a research institute in employment studies shares the ins and...

icare laid bare

contributorGabrielle Lis

icare engaged with the evidence-base around best practice injury management, and tried to reform...

Ombudsman calls for overhaul of “immoral and unethical” Victorian practices

contributorGabrielle Lis

New report concludes: “Nothing short of wholesale changes to the system will address the issues...

Let go of toxic workplace 'emotional labour' in 2019

contributorAstrid Helene Kendrick, University of Calgary

Deep acting at work could be a protective factor for employees in challenging situations, but it...

How is Australia tracking in RTW?

contributorRTWMatters team

A quick look at return to work data released by Safe Work Australia in 2019

Webinar recording: Compassion fatigue and emotional well-being of workers compensation employees

contributorEmily Cope

This webinar will discuss new research which has begun to consider risk factors and protective...

A new, national approach to RTW

contributorGabrielle Lis

Safe Work Australia's National Return to Work Strategy shows promise. Will they deliver on the...

Said or unsaid, words matter

contributorRTWMatters team

Six powerful phrases that are heard too often, or not often enough, in the field of RTW and...

Webinar recording: Managing shoulder injuries and rethinking our approach

contributorDr Angus Forbes

This webinar looks at common shoulder conditions and explains why current diagnostic...

Webinar recording: Expectations Management in Vocational Rehabilitation

contributorDr Boris Fedoric

This webinar is designed to educate individuals working in the injury management space on a...

Pilates pain or gain?

contributorStefanie Garber

The word “pilates” conjures images of healthy people in leotards with their legs above their...

Questioning the power of positivity

contributorGabrielle Lis

Do positive expectations about RTW bring results, or do good prospects make injured workers feel...

Too tough, too scared, too busy

contributorGabrielle Lis

A quarter of construction workers don’t report injuries. Why - and what are the consequences?

Is your workplace ready for GPs’ best practice mental health management?

contributorGabrielle Lis

World-leading Australian guidelines will help GPs better manage work-related mental health...

Webinar recording: The challenge of bullying – the negative consequences and effective responses

contributorMichael Plowright

This webinar explores the nature and effects of workplace bullying and what factors help to...

Webinar recording: Return to Work Coordinators, Doctors and Return to Work: an update

contributorTyler Lane

New research on the influence of return to work coordinators and health care providers on return...

Hungry to improve RTW?

contributorRTWMatters team

The researchers at the Insurance Work and Health Group at Monash University are offering a...

Webinar recording: A work-design focused Return to Work process

contributorMeredith Carr

Meredith Carr discusses how to effectively implement a work-design focused RTW process and the...

Are subjective reports of symptoms from a worker sufficient to establish that a worker suffered an injury?

contributorColby Treasure

In this case study, an insurance lawyer outlines the legal perspective on conflicting medical...

Investigation: Mindfulness

contributorGabrielle Lis

Meditation and mindfulness are often conflated but they’re not the same. We clarify the muddy...

Webinar recording: The importance of social connection in RTW

contributorDr Caroline Howe

Associate Professor Caroline Howe explains what icare's research into social connection tells...

Work injury and good work

contributorDr Sara Pazell

What is "human-centred" design and how might it reduce work injuries and ease return to...

Video: How to get the most out of RTWMatters

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

An introduction to the resources available with tips on how to get the most out of your subscription

Too ashamed to return to work

contributorGabrielle Lis

Shame feeds aggression and avoidance: barriers to RTW. How can workplaces and treating...

Webinar recording: Understanding musculoskeletal problems - Part 3 - Shoulders and knees

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

In our final webinar of our series, Dr Wyatt explains common shoulder and knee problems and how...

Six ways to beat the back-to-work blues by building resilience

contributorHolly Blake, University of Nottingham

Chartered health psychologist and Associate Professor Holly Blake shares practical tips to ease...

Working on addiction

contributorCassidy Webb

How to recognise and support those who suffer from addiction at work.

Webinar recording: Understanding musculoskeletal problems - Part 2: Neck and Back Pain

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

In part two of our three-part series, Dr Wyatt explains common neck and back problems and gives...

Supervisor training package launch: Early bird opportunity

contributorRTWMatters team

Managing return to work and injury - A Supervisor Training Package

Psychiatric cases and secondary depression - ELEARNING

contributorDr Peter Cotton and Dr Mary Wyatt

An online training module for RTW Coordinators who need tools to help them manage cases where...

Gold medal for relationship management goes to...

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

WorkCover Queensland! But unlike the Olympics, we'll happily hand out more golds to others with...

Not all ergonomics is snake oil salesmanship

contributorGabrielle Lis

Sorting the healthy from the makin’-me-wealthy when it comes to the lucrative field of workplace...

Mirror, mirror

contributorGabrielle Lis

“Who’s the fairest?” matters to compensation recipients. Researchers find associations between...

Identifying psychosocial risks and worker vulnerability

contributorRTWMatters team

Guidance from Safe Work Australia can help you clock the psychosocial risks in your workplace,...

Webinar recording: From theory to practice - Creating psychologically healthy workplaces

contributorDr Natasha Lazareski (Kiso)

Practical steps to build and maintain a psychologically healthy workplace and minimise...

The research and analysis behind our new training package for supervisors

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Dr Wyatt describes the six years of research, reflection and experimentation that have gone into...