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.

When it pays to care — How psychosocial support can change a police officer's journey

contributorLauren Finestone

When a police officer experiences trauma on duty, the path to recovery can take dramatically...

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...

A new tool to help workers make a health disclosure decision

contributorInstitute for Work and Health

An evidence-based tool called DCIDE can help people think through a decision to share personal...

Happiness as a healing tool? — 5 strategies for supporting injured workers

contributorLauren Finestone

Did you know that by fostering happiness at work, RTW professionals and employers can support...

Why the right type of conflict can be good for workplaces

contributorLauren Finestone

We should spend more time not trying to eliminate conflict at work but creating the ‘right kinds...

The case for empathy — not just a buzzword in workers’ comp

contributorLauren Finestone

Empathy is not just a buzzword in workers' compensation. It’s a powerful tool that can transform...

Heading mental health injury claims off at the pass

contributorLauren Finestone

Tips for some proactive strategies organisations can use to address mental health concerns...

Tipping points — are psychosocial hazards present in your workplace?

contributorLauren Finestone

Four groups of psychosocial hazards leaders need to look for, and what they can do practically...

Building a culture of 'and' — balancing cultures of care and legal compliance for workplaces to flourish

contributorLauren Finestone

Complying with laws ensures a baseline level of safety. But people and teams do, and feel,...

Speak up cultures — how leaders can build healthy and supportive work environments

contributorLauren Finestone

A Harvard Business Review article gives leaders some practical tips to create positive work...

Psychological safety in the workplace — Part 2: bridging the ‘safety gap’

contributorLauren Finestone

Research shows there's often a gap between the psychosocial support leaders say they’re...

Psychological safety in the workplace — Part 1: moving beyond risk assessment and compliance

contributorLauren Finestone

To create psychologically safe workplaces, leaders need to go beyond just assessing risk and...

‘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...

The ‘Four Cs’ of supporting workers with long Covid symptoms return to work

contributorLauren Finestone

Thousands of workers with long Covid are, and will continue to be, exploring return to work. Dr...

Get out the barometer — your organisation's psychosocial safety climate predicts RTW

contributorLauren Finestone

Senior management teams can be ‘psychosocial safety climate’ engineers.

'Above all, do no harm'. Towards a therapeutic approach to workers’ compensation.

contributorLauren Finestone

Is the concept of ‘Above all, do no harm’ relevant to our workers compensation schemes?

Regulation toolkit: compliance as a way to influence RTW

contributorLauren Finestone

Workers get the bad press, but other scheme participants behave in ways that are unethical. This...

Regulation toolkit: encouragement, engagement and upskilling as a way to influence RTW

contributorLauren Finestone

Regulators can constructively influence our work injury scheme through encouragement, engagement...

RTW: from research to practice. The ‘know-do gap’ through a complex systems lens

contributorLauren Finestone

In our ongoing quest to find ways to translate research into practice in our work injury...

RTW: from policy to practice. Is your organisation ready for change?

contributorLauren Finestone

Implementing evidence-based interventions to improve how we care for workers is not easy. Are...

RTW: from policy to practice. How to make change happen

contributorLauren Finestone

The 'It Pays to Care' report calls for change in our work injury schemes, but recognises that...

‘WorkWell: Preventing mental injury and promoting mental health’

contributorLauren Finestone

There are 11 work-related factors that employers must identify and manage to prevent mental...

Thrive at work - Resources and guides

contributorProfessor Karina Jorritsma

We speak with Professor of Practice Karina Jorritsma, one of the lead researchers at Thrive at...

Unreliable, dangerous, incompetent?

contributorRTWMatters team

Awareness of workplace injury stigma is low amongst Australian employers but the costs may be...

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...

Work injury and good work

contributorDr Sara Pazell

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

Webinar recording: An update on the Health Benefits of Good Work (HBGW) Campaign

contributorSuzanne Jones

And initiatives of the Australian HBGW Signatory Steering Group.

Webinar recording: Employers - The biggest influencers in RTW

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Dr Wyatt discusses the lessons for employers from Return to Work Survey findings

Can you ‘teach’ workers to be more emotionally resilient?

contributorYvonne Brunetto

You may know someone like this at work: optimistic and resilient, they appear to bounce through...

Bus Wellness Guide 2: A guide for managers

contributorA. Richey

Managers and supervisors can have an enormous impact on employee health, wellness and safety....

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 2: Employers enabling open communication

contributorA. Richey

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

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...

Wellness: a whole of industry approach

contributorA. Richey

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

Surgeons: what can other organisations learn from the report?

contributorA. Richey

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