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.

Psychological Cases: developing a psychologically healthy workplace

contributorA. Richey

The workplace is a social environment. For many, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of...

Webinar recording: Improve mental health in your workplace

contributorKevin St Mart

An introduction to the Workplace Alliance and Beyondblue's workplace mental health initiative

Speaking Up 4: When injured workers need to speak up

contributorA. Richey

Effective communication is particularly important when an injured worker is returning to work...

Speaking Up 3: Staff speaking up

contributorA. Richey

As an employee, it's often seen as easier to keep quiet, but the reality is that you need to...

Speaking Up 2: Employers enabling open communication

contributorA. Richey

Many employees tend to be wary of communicating openly in the workplace, so what can employers...

Speaking Up 1: The Benefits of Open Communication

contributorA. Richey

Open communication in the workplace is sign of a positive workplace culture.

Webinar recording: Cultivating happiness at work to improve RTW

contributorAlexandra Blakemore

The Happiness at Work Program, a 30-day program devised to improve personal happiness and...

Prehabilitation: improving the results of surgery

contributorA. Richey

Prehabilitation is an approach to aid people recover from surgery and increase the likelihood of...

Lifestyle Factors: Nutrition & RTW

contributorA. Richey

Absenteeism due to employee health costs Australian businesses around $7 billion annually and...

Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Drugs

contributorA. Richey

According to NDSHS data, workers are more likely to have used illicit drugs in the past 12...

Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Alcohol

contributorA. Richey

Alcohol and smoking are the most common legal drugs in use in Australia today.

Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Fatigue

contributorA. Richey

Fatigue is often the result of a lack of sleep, prolonged mental or physical work, or lengthy...

Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Fitness

contributorA. Richey

Fitness lowers the risk of injury and aids recovery, but 71% of the Australian working...

Disputes: at what cost?

contributorA. Richey

If an employee is suspected of 'gaming the system,' is it worth investigating the matter further...

Webinar recording: What works - Lessons from overseas

contributorRobert Aurbach

The most successful workers' compensation system in the world is one you haven't heard of.

Dispute Resolutions: How does your jurisdiction stack up?

contributorA. Richey

The CPM report provides information on disputation rates and dispute resolution rates across...

Disputes: is avoidance the best policy?

contributorA. Richey

Workers compensation disputes are often both costly and time consuming. While sometimes they're...

Webinar recording: Independent Medical Examiners: Assessing capacity for work

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Dr Mary Wyatt explores the role of the IME in assessing work capacity for injured or ill employees.

Claims Process: the stress of making a claim

contributorA. Richey

When a worker is injured, there might be fears for their job stability, financial burdens, or...

Medical treatment: the importance of early access

contributorA. Richey

Delayed access to medical treatment means delayed recovery.

Dr Melita Giummarra: Injury, Compensation and Perceptions of Injustice

contributorA. Richey

Monash University in association with the Transport Accident Commission conducted a study into...

Compensation: does it do more harm than good?

contributorA. Richey

Professor Ian Cameron from the University of Sydney spoke at the 2016 ISCRR Forum on ways that...

Psychological Cases: prevention is better than the cure

contributorA. Richey

The workplace is a social environment. For many, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of...

Orebro: the questionnaire you need to know about

contributorA. Richey

The Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Questionnaire (or OMPQ) used to be known as the Acute Back Pain...

Vic Ombudsman: inquiry into workers' compensation

contributorA. Richey

The Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass, has begun an investigation into the handling of workers’...

Management tips: Resolving conflict in the workplace

contributorA. Richey

Unresolved conflict can cause many problems in the workplace. Don't let it!

Self-Management: training the treaters

contributorA. Richey

Self-management is a vital part of recovery from illness, but how can treaters be trained to...

Workplace Nonchalance: who cares?

contributorA. Richey

Nonchalant employees are not unhappy. They're not disgruntled. They’re people who show up day...

Workplace Incivility: where are your manners?

contributorA. Richey

Incivility is being rude, discourteous and showing a lack of regard for others. The behaviour...

Wellness: a whole of industry approach

contributorA. Richey

While the health and wellness concerns of the bus industry are similar to other industries...

Telephone coaching for people with chronic diseases

contributorA. Richey

Telephone counselling has become an increasingly popular method for providing health education,...

Webinar Recording: The nuts and bolts of work oriented treatment

contributorDr Chris Stevens

Gain an understanding of the practical aspects of Work Oriented Treatment for workers...

Grief at work: when an employee dies

contributorA. Richey

Managing the aftermath of an employee death is extraordinarily challenging. What do managers...

Grief in the workplace: the death of a loved one

contributorA. Richey

Employees who have lost a loved one need support in the workplace. Grief is not a fast or easy...

Mental Health and Cancer

contributorA. Richey

The diagnosis of any serious disease can have an impact on mental health; for the person...

Cancer and Fatigue: in the workplace

contributorA. Richey

When dealing with cancer, fatigue is a common side effect of treatments. It may include...

Historical Workplace Diseases: we've come a long way

contributorA. Richey

The history of work disease is as old as the concept of work itself. This article takes a look...

Chronic Pain in the Workplace: a psychological approach

contributorA. Richey

Dr Matt Graham, a registered psychologist and team psychologist at OrionHealth, explores the...