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.

Why apologies matter in workers' compensation

contributorLauren Finestone

Apologies can have real meaning in the work injury industry, which revolves around supporting...

Employment care coordination — Reimagining RTW

contributorLauren Finestone

DXC's Employment care coordination program, supported by WorkSafe Victoria, improves RTW...

'Listen, believe, enable' — Voices from inside the workers' compensation system

contributorLauren Finestone

Two stories from Lived Experience Advisors in the Workers' Voice project offer insights into how...

A recovery roadmap — Navigating cultural crossroads in Carlos's RTW: Part 2

contributorLauren Finestone

Using a navigation metaphor — including navigation tips for RTW professionals — we continue...

A recovery roadmap — Navigating cultural crossroads in Carlos's RTW: Part 1

contributorLauren Finestone

Using a navigation metaphor — including navigation tips for RTW professionals — we explore a...

Recovery isn't linear — A fire and rescue officer's journey back to work

contributorLauren Finestone

‘Recovery isn't linear’. These words from a Fire and Rescue NSW Technical Rescue Instructor...

Services beyond the scheme — EML's approach to supporting injured worker’s recovery

contributorLauren Finestone

In line with a wider shift in insurance care, EML and other forward-thinking claims...

Managing the use of medication in workers' compensation claims

contributorLauren Finestone

Medication management plays a crucial role in workers' compensation, but it's not without its...

Webinar recording — Chronic pain in claims

contributorKathy Hubble

Kathy Hubble of Amelio Health explores the nature of chronic pain and approaches to managing it...

How Return to Work SA’s Surgery Assist program is enhancing recovery and RTW — Part 1

contributorLauren Finestone

Return to Work SA’s approach to supporting injured workers through surgery and recovery is...

Collaboration is key in RTW. But what makes it easy or hard to do?

contributorLauren Finestone

A study suggests some basic conditions are needed for achieving ‘easy’ collaboration between...

BeHealth — a digital answer to employee mental health challenges

contributorLauren Finestone

An innovative digital mental health program offers a blueprint for employers keen to support...

New guidelines for treating PTSD in emergency workers

contributorLauren Finestone

New guidelines provide more detailed guidance on how to assess, treat and manage the...

A successful RTW pilot takes flight

contributorLauren Finestone

After a highly successful pilot program to help people get back to work, Comcare is offering the...

‘We started with bananas’ — self-managing the culture of a small business

contributorLauren Finestone

One of the rewarding things about having a self-managed company can be empowering workers to...

Threading the needle (Part 2) — tips for managing RTW for injured or ill workers

contributorLauren Finestone

Safework Australia has a guide helps supervisors in small and medium businesses tread the tricky...

Threading the needle (Part 1) — tips for managing RTW for injured or ill workers

contributorLauren Finestone

Safework Australia's new guide helps supervisors in small and medium businesses tread the tricky...

From dictator to facilitator — reframing the role of therapists in patient care

contributorLauren Finestone

We’ve been discussing the role of physiotherapy in self-management for decades – how much...

Words, language and collaboration matter in returning to ‘good work’

contributorLauren Finestone

Four experts discuss the idea of ‘good work’ and how collaboration can achieve better outcomes...

‘Be more human, think like a customer’ — the importance of empathy and connection in case management

contributorLauren Finestone

When injured workers reflect on their workers' comp claims experience, it's how their claims...

Webinar recording — Thrive at Work: Prevent harm through SMART work design

contributorSajani Fernando

Evidence-based strategies for organisations to support employees across the full spectrum of...

Motivate workers by meeting their needs

contributorDanielle Mik

Injured workers will continue to struggle with motivation unless the system takes charge of...

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...

Working on addiction

contributorCassidy Webb

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

(Home) working it!

contributorGabrielle Lis

Accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives of remote work, with this strategic guide...

Ten benefits of working from home

contributorGabrielle Lis

Whether you're a full time remote worker, recovering from injury or illness, or practising...

Supercharging motivation for the chronically ill

contributorRTWMatters team

Motivating messages for RTW coordinators, supervisors and HR, based on research that describes...

What injured workers want

contributorGabrielle Lis

The bad news: according to workers, positive interactions with insurers are few and far between....

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.

When you suspect an employee

contributorA. Richey

Joe Unreliable and Jane Dodge have lodged claims for workers' compensation. How should you...

Webinar recording: Telephonic support to facilitate return to work: what works, how, and when?

contributorNick Kendall

A research review of telephone use for case management was released in the UK this year. Learn...

Case study: Flexible approaches can kickstart cases

contributorStefanie Garber

Despite the best efforts of the return to work manager, some cases seem to make little progress....

Recorded Webinar: Improving RTW Culture in the Workplace

contributorLori Boys

This webinar will explore the initiatives that ISS Facility Services' National Injury Assist...

Give a little bit of 'tough' and you'll probably get some back

contributorSuperDoc

We all know what happens to that which goes around (it comes around), so why do we sometimes...

The Value of Questions and Early Answers

contributorSuperDoc

Gather round, I've got a story to tell - and it starts with a question...

SuperDoc: Serve up a good attitude

contributorSuperDoc

Want positive results from your clients? Check your 'tude.

Who's the boss?

contributorGabrielle Lis

The health and wellbeing of people with chronic illness improves when they become...

Learning from the Vet

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Getting in touch with connectedness

The broad reach of suicide

contributorTom Barton

The burden of suicide in Australia is comparable with other major, better understood chronic...

Better off without comp?

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

It's time to question whether some workers should be spared the compensation process.