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.

Emotional demands — the invisible forces that influence the experience of work

contributorLauren Finestone

What are emotional demands in the workplace? And how do they affect workers' well-being? The...

Webinar recording — Translating Employer Insights

contributorMegan Buick

Megan Buick, General Manager of the Strategic Partnerships and Engagement Group at Comcare talks...

The personal and the professional — A conversation with Jacqueline Agius, ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner (Part 1)

contributorLauren Finestone

Jaqueline Agius, the ACT Work Health and Safety Commissioner, speaks to RTWM about the personal...

WorkSafe ACT’s Psychosocial Maturity Indication Tool — in a nutshell

contributorLauren Finestone

RTWMatters speaks to WorkSafe ACT about their Psychosocial Maturity Indication Tool

Tools to assess psychosocial safety in your workplace

contributorLauren Finestone

Free psychosocial risk assessment tools can be a valuable starting point for organisations that...

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...

Upping the ante — what the new model code of practice expects of employers

contributorLauren Finestone

What exactly does Safe Work Australia’s new model code of practice, Managing psychosocial...

From duty to action — how to comply with the law to ensure psychosocial safety

contributorLauren Finestone

Managing psychosocial hazards in the workplace is an important responsibility for employers,...

Can you hear that sound? It’s the wake-up call for employers to manage psychosocial hazards

contributorLauren Finestone

The era of prioritising mental health and psychological safety in the workplace has arrived....

Is your organisation ready for regulatory change? — the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of psychosocial risk assessment and control

contributorLauren Finestone

This is Part 2 of a 2-part article that summarises a presentation by Professor Angela Martin at...

Is your organisation ready for regulatory change? — the ‘what’ of psychosocial risk assessment and control

contributorLauren Finestone

This is Part 1 of a 2-part article that summarises a presentation by Professor Angela Martin at...

Psychosocial safety qu'est-ce que c'est? Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better *

contributorLauren Finestone

What is ‘psychosocial safety’? And how does it fit in with legal developments in the area of...

Holding the torch higher — the social realities of self-management

contributorLauren Finestone

Self-management is not just about individual efforts. It's shaped by social factors and the...

IMEs as forces for healing, not harming — Part 2: healthcare providers

contributorLauren Finestone

Independent medical examinations are a healthcare issue that contributes to poorer outcomes for...

IMEs as forces for healing, not harming — Part 1: case managers

contributorLauren Finestone

Independent medical examinations are one of many factors in our compensation system that can...

Webinar recording — Every recovery needs a plan

contributorDr John McMahon

John McMahon, Director of Science at Navigator Group, discusses their Navigator Support Program...

New clinical care standard for low back pain — a story of hope

contributorLauren Finestone

The new Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard aims to make sure patients with this common...

Webinar recording — It pays to care: from policy to practice

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Dr Mary Wyatt introduces the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine's...

‘An epidemic of useless and often harmful care’ — Part 1

contributorLauren Finestone

Our standard pathway of care in injury management leads to low value care and...

RTW: from policy to practice. An imperative for change and call to action

contributorLauren Finestone

An important policy paper — It pays to care — calls for a conversation about, and action on, how...

Why some injured workers struggle and how to help

contributorDr Boris Fedoric

Rehabilitation counselling guru Dr Boris Fedoric explains why some workers struggle to get back...

Bad reassurance: "You’re fine! Don’t worry!"

contributorGabrielle Lis

Doctors and allied health professionals aiming to avoid over-treatment can actually make things...

Questioning the power of positivity

contributorGabrielle Lis

Do positive expectations about RTW bring results, or do good prospects make injured workers feel...

Webinar recording: The importance of social connection in RTW

contributorDr Caroline Howe

Associate Professor Caroline Howe explains what icare's research into social connection tells...

Identifying psychosocial risks and worker vulnerability

contributorRTWMatters team

Guidance from Safe Work Australia can help you clock the psychosocial risks in your workplace,...

Psychosocial pitfalls of "ordinary" injuries

contributorGabrielle Lis

We eavesdrop on a conversation (ok, polite but passionate debate) between RTW professionals with...

Workplace Incivility: where are your manners?

contributorA. Richey

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

Role Summary: Psychologist

contributorA. Richey

Psychology is the study of the mind and associated behaviours. A psychologist's focus may be on...