Free Knowledge Base Articles

RTWMatters is Australia’s leading independent resource for return to work professionals.

Dr Mary Wyatt and RTWMatters are committed to sharing information that can make a meaningful difference to RTW experiences and outcomes. We rely on subscriptions to continue our work, but we also understand that some people have difficulty convincing their employers to provide access. In response to this feedback, we’ve decided to make approximately 1 in 7 articles free and create a small best practice knowledge base that is available to everyone.

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Listed below are our Free Articles. Click the ‘Free Research Articles’ button to visit our Free Research Summaries and Updates.

Shouldering on

contributorGabrielle Lis

A fact sheet about shoulder pain, including workplace contributions and solutions

Top ten ways to reduce sick leave

contributorGabrielle Lis

Keep workers and reduce sick leave with a dose of sick leave sugar (and a dash of lemon!)

Signs of employee disengagement

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Advice on how to bite the signs of disengagement - before they bite you

Anxiety Q&A 3: Working with anxiety

contributorGabrielle Lis

This final instalment provides tips for helping anxious employees maintain their cool and remain...

Suspicious about a claim at your small business?

contributorGabrielle Lis

There are three golden rules for small business owners who doubt the work-relatedness of an...

Back Pain & RTW

contributorCheryl Griffiths

Everything you need to know about back pain and RTW in one hit!

Communicating with "The System"

contributorRosemary McKenzie-Ferguson and Gabrielle Lis

Workers struggle to listen and be heard. How does this affect them?

Trouble communicating? Stop talking: Listen!

contributorGabrielle Lis

A quick guide to the advantages and basic techniques of active listening.

Juggling RTW and performance issues?

contributorGabrielle Lis

These practical industry insights will save you from having to grow an extra pair of arms...

Motivational mojo medicine

contributorGabrielle Lis

RTW motivation can be hard to muster...Unless you've had your dose of the RTWMatters...

How to recognise if you're "in the zone" at work

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Missing the zing in your step? Here's some help to refresh at work and steps to getting in the...

6 simple apathy busters

contributorGabrielle Lis

Supervisors apathetic about RTW? You gotta bust that apathy ASAP!

Top ten things to avoid in RTW

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg and Gabrielle Lis

Maximise the chances of great RTW outcomes by avoiding these bad boys.

Q&A: The first five minutes

contributorGabrielle Lis

What happens in the first five minutes after injury affects health outcomes and costs. And your...

Seeking: a doctor who talks and listens

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

How to recognise doctors who are good communicators - and why it's in your interest to seek them...

Top ten reasons to have a health and wellbeing program

contributorGabrielle Lis

Need some ammunition to make the case for investment in health and wellbeing? Look no further...

Manage people, not musculoskeletal symptoms

contributorGabrielle Lis

Ignoring the non-physical causes of musculoskeletal problems leads to very poor outcomes in this...

Returning to work? Ten tips to help you survive the system!

contributorGabrielle Lis

Getting back to work after illness or injury can be daunting. Stick to our top ten, however, and...

Conflict Cookie #1: What kinds of conflict happen in the workplace?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Remember how your mum taught you to turn lemons into lemonade? In this series of bite-sized...

Top ten tips for super smooth supervising of RTW

contributorGabrielle Lis

Supervising return to work ain't easy...unless you've read our latest top ten!

Top ten tips to keep you on track when managing a stress claim.

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

To help an employee return to work after a stress claim, our ten tips start with proactivity and...

Returning to work in the Netherlands: a different approach

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Dutch occupational physician Frederieke Schaafsma describes a new Netherlands system of return...

Top ten tips for preventing long term claims

contributorGabrielle Lis

Changes to your injury management system can help reduce claim duration.

The Return to Work Coordinators' Code of Ethics

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

After return to work coordinators expressed to us a lack of formal guidance in their role as...

Top ten tips to help employees with depression

contributorGabrielle Lis

Productive employment probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of...

A sneak peak at some ground-breaking research

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Dr William Shaw takes us behind the (research) scenes at Liberty Mutual in the US.

What is evidence based medicine and why do we need it?

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

What does "evidence based medicine" refer to exactly, and why should we care to know?

The Stress Series - Part 2

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Stress claims commonly build up over time, until the person reaches a point where they can't...

Rehabilitating after mental illness

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

With dignity and respect, self-responsibility and supportive relationships, return to work after...

Motivation - Part Seven (b)

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

The final article in the motivation series looks at the strategies and techniques of...

Compensation's negative side effects

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

We don't talk enough about the poor outcomes associated with workers' compensation.

Changing health behaviours- It's all in our heads - Janette Gale

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Even if they want to it doesn't mean they can, even if they can it doesn't mean they will.

Deanne's story part three: unintended outcome

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

How an employer and employee can do the right thing and yet have a bad experience too

Doctor-patient communication: when it's good, everyone benefits (Part 1)

contributorNews Hound

The first half of RTW Matter's interview with Dr Hari Dhir.

RTW Matters follows the journey of a young secretary forced out of her job by a common health condition.

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

In this and subsequent articles on Deanne's case, we learn about her WorkCover journey and hear...

The importance of early return to productive and full time duties

contributorSarah Duffield

A worker has several months off work after experiencing acute back pain. Her eventual return to...

Building a corporate culture of health - Dr Catherine Hamilton

contributorAndrea Thompson

From the Institute for Health and Productivity Management.

Rehabilitation of cancer patients - addressing a lack

contributorAnna Kelsey-Sugg

Why is it then that cancer survivors have less access to help with rehabilitation post-treatment?