RTWMatters team
Articles by ‘RTWMatters team’
Two articles in The Conversation pick up on revelations in the recent Four Corners episode on how chronic pain care is failing Australians.
Ten reasons to share the key messages from It Pays To Care with everyone who works with workers’ compensation claimants.
What should employers do to make sure they're complying with both Work Health and Safety psychosocial regulations and laws about return to work?
ChatGPT. We’re betting you’ve heard about it lately. It’s been hard to miss, and seems here to stay. The RTWMatters team wanted to find out for ourselves what it was all about. We’re on board with...
"Since the pandemic started, there is a general desire by workplaces to do more about workplace mental health – and to move beyond the awareness raising stage to taking effective workplace...
Organisations have a lot to gain from battling insomnia, with benefits ranging from increased productivity, less burnout, better worker mental health and fewer workplace accidents. And research...
GP guidelines on the assessment and management of work-related mental health conditions aim to reduce unnecessary “unfit for work” certificates and improve recovery outcomes.
Not knowing where to begin is a barrier that prevents some organisations from taking action on workplace mental health. We've assembled a list of high quality resources from workers' compensation...
Comcare and Beyond Blue demonstrate benefits of low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy at work.
Psychological responses to work injury impact recovery. Australian researchers have interviewed stakeholders and summarised the evidence, developing practical advice to improve the RTW journey.
Awareness of workplace injury stigma is low amongst Australian employers but the costs may be high, according to a report commissioned by Safe Work Australia.
Practical advice for people who experience persistent pain, based on the work of musculoskeletal therapist Ben Cormack.
A quick guide to understanding, accommodating and preventing migraines at work.
Practical advice for accommodating non-infectious workers with persistent Covid symptoms during RTW. Plus information about Covid-19 transmission and indoor ventilation.
Progressive think-tank The Australia Institute has released a report that quantifies the costs of poor workplace mental health.
Petrina Casey of SIRA discusses the benefits and challenges of value-based healthcare (VBH) in workers' compensation.
How should employers measure RTW performance? We dig into Safe Work Australia’s national approach to highlight five measurement principles that apply within organisations, as well as across the...
By creating a therapeutic "pain story," proponents of cognitive functional therapy claim the approach will break the cycle of pain-related distress and disability for individuals with persistent,...
We hit some potential pandemic pain points, share resources to help organisations tackle them and tune in to the advice from a paediatric oncologist who wants us all to adapt and thrive at work...
The COVID-19 Work and Health Study is tracking the impact of the pandemic on those who lose work (i.e. lose their job or have reduced hours) as a result.
Practical and authoritative material to help you navigate these unprecedented times.
A quick look at return to work data released by Safe Work Australia in 2019
Six powerful phrases that are heard too often, or not often enough, in the field of RTW and workers’ comp.
The researchers at the Insurance Work and Health Group at Monash University are offering a fantastic professional development opportunity: a two-day course on Return to Work: Evidence and Innovation
Managing return to work and injury - A Supervisor Training Package
Guidance from Safe Work Australia can help you clock the psychosocial risks in your workplace, and understand which workers might be most vulnerable.
RTWMatters is Australia’s leading independent resource for return to work professionals: informative, practical, motivating. Learn what we do, why it matters and who’s responsible for the wisdom...
RTW Coordinators, meet the Clinical Framework, a set of principles that ensure allied health professionals provide workers comp claimants with the best possible treatment.
Motivating messages for RTW coordinators, supervisors and HR, based on research that describes what people with chronic diseases value about work.
Nine priorities for Australian businesses seeking to prevent harm, promote the positive, and manage mental illness at work
A highly experienced “pracademic” outlines the research evidence best suited to helping employers improve mental health at work
Pre-employment medical assessments bring risks for employers as well as benefits. Potential downsides include inaccuracies, legal challenges and unrealistic expectations
Even when it succeeds, manipulation destroys trust and breeds resentment. How can we persuade without manipulating?
Workplace examples illustrate how employers use (and misuse) the results of pre-employment medical assessments
A doctor’s assessment that a prospective employee is “fit” for a particular role does not guarantee a clean bill of health. How should employers understand and use the results of pre-employment...
Case study: How to ensure your pre-employment medical assessment program is fit for the job.
There's no "one size fits all" pre-employment medical assessment: individual role demands and safety requirements determine the appropriate type of PEMA for the job.
What is a PEMA? What can - and can't - be achieved with this earliest of early interventions?
Fifteen things that the best performing organisations do to promote good mental health at work
Want to secure a mentally healthy workplace but not exactly sure what one looks like? Mental health foundation Superfriend have drawn a picture of the target.
RTW Coordinators, are you missing out on help from a RTW ally? Or keeping a good thing to yourself? Take advantage of your free access to RTWMatters
This survey article looks at how you use the RTW Matters website. What's useful? How do you use the information? How can we improve the service?
A huge thank you to everyone who responded to our reader survey. It helps us to understand some of the issues around RTW, as well as helping us to provide the information you want and need.
A study shows that Victorian GPs are unlikely to recommend alternate duties for injured workers.
Improvements to injury reporting systems are one of the most cost effective ways to improve return to work outcomes.
What is optimism? How is it good for health? When is it wise, in professional life, to get your grin on?
Trust is a key predictor of organisational success, says the Great Places to Work Institute. What matters is not only how much others trust you, but how trusting YOU are.
Unresolved workplace conflict can prevent RTW, so RTW professionals need to know how to recognise the signs and tame the beast!
Identify high risk cases BEFORE they bite.
Unless plant closures and mass lay-offs are planned, workers' comp claim rates tend to decline during recessions, while claim duration increases.