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.

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...

Webinar Recording: Improving RTW Outcomes - the Strategic Impact of Work Oriented Treatment Part 1

contributorDr Chris Stevens

Gain an understanding of the strategic impact of Work Oriented Treatment for workers...

Learned helplessness in RTW

contributorA. Richey

'Learned helplessness' is the idea that some people who experience repeated setbacks will...

Banishing Burnout: Strategies for a Constructive Engagement with Work

contributorA. Richey

Dr Michael Leiter, a professor at the Centre for Organisational Research and Development at...

Surgeons: what can other organisations learn from the report?

contributorA. Richey

The Royal Australian College of Surgeons recently released a report into discrimination,...

Webinar recording: Supervisors and co-workers, vital but often overlooked links in RTW

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

This webinar explores evidence on how supervisors and coworkers can influence RTW, and how to...

Mental Health: developing an action plan for your workplace - part 2

contributorA. Richey

Once your action plan has been developed, what are the next steps for implementation?

Mental Health: developing an action plan for your workplace - part 1

contributorA. Richey

An estimated one in five employees will be impacted by a mental health condition at any one time...

Critical Ideas for the Psychologically Healthy Workplace

contributorA. Richey

In this webinar on Conflict, Emotion, Incidents, & Behaviour, Pierre Nadeau, Respectful...

Webinar Recording: Knee injuries - Getting employees back on their feet

contributorDr James Crompton

This webinar looks at work contribution to, the nature of, and rehabilitation of knee injuries.

Mental Stress in Australia: Compensation Statistics part 1

contributorA. Richey

Work-related mental stress places a burden on the health and welfare of employees, as well as...

Rehab Providers: how they can influence managers

contributorA. Richey

Rehabilitation providers interact with many of the key people in return to work. Arguably, the...

Health and Wellness in the Workplace: how to promote it

contributorA. Richey

Every business wants to increase productivity and make money. Many businesses are, however,...

RTW cooperation is more effective than control

contributorA. Richey

Cooperation is vital in return to work. Whose buy-in is essential? How can you get it? And why...

Better Workplace Systems: how to implement them

contributorA. Richey

This article takes you through some effective ways of making sure that your workplace systems...

Case management in a nutshell

contributorA. Richey

The management of the work attendance of people with health condition is sometimes called case...

Template Injury Management Policy

contributorA. Richey

Are injury management policies a mystery to you? This template should help.

Injury Management: how to create your policy

contributorA. Richey

An injury management policy provides broad guidelines on the company’s approach to injury...

RTW Systems - How does your workplace stack-up?

contributorA. Richey

Developing effective workplace systems can be challenging. It can also be difficult to know if...

Exploring Injury Reporting Systems

contributorA. Richey

Early reporting can have a huge impact on RTW outcomes, so the system used should be well-suited...

Webinar recording: Using Disability Guidelines to assist return to work

contributorRobert Aurbach

Recent subscriber survey feedback highlighted the need for more advanced webinar topics and...

Case Study: Time to heal

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Mr L, a tall, solid-framed, right-handed 58 year old man, reported pain in his right elbow....

Case Study: It pays to do the right thing, even when dubious about a claim

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Michael was a 48-year-old machine operator. He had been at the workplace for nine months. During...

2015 RTW Matters Reader Survey: Feedback

contributorRTWMatters team

This survey article looks at how you use the RTW Matters website. What's useful? How do you use...