Published on Nov 29, 2021

There were 120,355 "serious" workers compensation claims in Australia in 2019-20, which is what Safe Work Australia calls claims that result in at least one week's absence from work. Labourers had the highest frequency of claims, followed by community and personal services worke...

Published on Nov 29, 2021

Health and wellbeing programs can have positive side effects, improving social relationships at work and reduce bullying, according to a new study. Conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia, working with insurance and investments company Vitality, the study fou...

Published on Nov 04, 2021

Sleep disturbances are common among people with workers' compensation claims, and those who report emotional disturbance are particularly like to find it hard to get enough shut-eye. We know there's a reciprocal relationship between sleep and mental health: getting enough sleep ...

Published on Nov 02, 2021

Whether you're returning to work after a long period of working from home; feeling burnt-out and unmotivated; struggling to contain your irritation with a particularly annoying colleague; or just wanting to feel calmer and more content, mindfulness practices can help. Follow the...

Published on Nov 02, 2021

According to research from the think tank Committee For Sydney, 51% of bosses expect their workers will commute to the office for just three days a week post-pandemic shutdowns, and 36 percent expect their staff will cluster their office days from Tuesday to Thursday. Some big b...

Published on Nov 02, 2021

A report by PwC and wellbeing company Sonder estimates the productivity cost of the COVID-19 pandemic will exceed $20 billion a year due to projected increases in psychological distress, hospitalisations and suicide. The report also found that while 80% of top 500 companies have...

Published on Oct 14, 2021

We don't mean to brag (nah, ok, we totally do), but one of our contributing authors this week, the wonderful Sharon Stratford, just took out the top gong for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual or Team at the Personal Injury Education Foundation (PIEF) awards for excel...

Published on Oct 14, 2021

While providing workers with resources to maintain their own mental health is important, Dr Laura Kirby, chief mental health officer at Commonwealth Bank, says a "systems approach" to mental health is required if organisations want to play an active role in helping workers stay ...

Published on Oct 05, 2021

The key to increasing productivity and work life balance is to foster psychological detachment and social support among employees, according to new research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Psychological detachment refers to the feeling of bei...

Published on Sep 16, 2021

Increasingly, organisations have legislative obligations to protect the psychological health of workers in the same way they protect their physical safety. Resources are available to help meet these obligations including People at Work, a joint venture of Safe Work Australia and...

Published on Sep 08, 2021

When we think of bullies we tend to think of people who are obvious in their interpersonal aggressions. Think the loathsome Biff from Back to the Future. But workplace bullying is hard to prevent precisely because it can be so subtle. Condescending remarks, doubting a person's j...

Published on Sep 06, 2021

A dental entrepreneur from Sydney, went to New York during the Covid-19 pandemic to oversee the setup of an American facility. Just over a week later, he was taken to hospital by ambulance and died several months later. Now, his family has been awarded workers' compensation for ...

Published on Aug 23, 2021

A government employee who ruptured a ligament in her right knee whilst playing netball has been successful in a workers' compensation claim, despite an initial rejection from Comcare. The tribunal found that, since the Department encouraged the woman to attend the community even...

Published on Aug 23, 2021

In this video from the JAMA Network, two US experts answer common questions about the Covid-19 vaccines. Questions include, "Vaccines have only been available since December 2020, so how do I know they're safe long-term?"; "What is the Delta variant? And should I be worried?"; a...

Published on Aug 09, 2021

People-pleasing personality types, writes Jemma Barnard, are less likely than others to raise concerns about workload, bullying, levels of support and inadequate training at work, meaning that they may also be more prone to work-related stress and psychiatric injury. She advises...

Published on Jul 30, 2021

Low value health care can be ineffective, harmful, or simply confer "marginal benefit at disproportionately high cost”. According to recent research in published in the Medical Journal of Australia, patients (not health experts) may be best placed to combat overtreatment, ...

Published on Jul 30, 2021

Safe Work Australia has released a grant opportunity to fund high-quality research projects into interventions that answer questions like...What strategies work best to manage psychological risks in the workplace? Are current approaches to managing psychosocial hazards effective...

Published on Jul 26, 2021

With Sydney and Melbourne facing extended lockdowns, technology billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has urged Australian employers to watch rising mental health risks amongst workers. The Altassian founder (whose business facilitates remote work) is concerned about the increasingly ...

Published on Jul 16, 2021

Don't tell your employer about your mental health issue, is the advice from Lucy Brogden, chair of the National Mental Health Commission - advice she herself describes as disappointing. "“It really points to the low level of understanding of what mental health issues are a...

Published on Jul 07, 2021

Safe Work Australia (SWA) want to do a better job of collecting and publishing data on workers' compensation, return to work, time lost to injury and so on. You have until the 19th of July to provide your feedback via a two minute survey, so now is the time to congratulate SWA o...

Published on Jul 07, 2021

In four new videos produced by Safe Work Australia, leading researchers in the prevention of workplace musculoskeletal injuries explain what needs to be done to combat the huge burden caused by musculoskeletal disorders in Australia. There is also discussion of how "systems thin...

Published on Jun 23, 2021

Leaders need moral imagination, according to this insightful article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Matt Beard, the author, defines moral imagination as the ability to attend to the needs, interests and experiences of people different from the leader. He also calls for curiosity,...

Published on Jun 14, 2021

The ACTU is calling on the Federal Government to ban high silica content engineered stone products and promote the use of safer alternatives, claiming that one in five engineered stone workers are affected by silicosis. Silicosis is a very serious, sometimes fatal condition that...

Published on Jun 02, 2021

If you're a case manager or Return to Work Coordinator looking for a resource to share with people with back pain, look no further: this short article from The Guardian is a winner. Regular readers of this website will recognise all the messages (back pain is unlikely to have a ...

Published on May 31, 2021

More confirmation that diagnostic imaging of the spine should NOT be routine. Researchers behind a new study from the UK followed more than 400 women over 15 years and found no link between changes to the spine seen in radiographic scans and the experience of back pain. ...

Published on May 24, 2021

This article focuses on endometriosis, an "invisible" condition that causes chronic pain in some women. However, most of the information is generalisable to other chronic pain conditions and could be helpful for workers deciding whether to talk to their employer about their chro...

Published on May 17, 2021

...and other brief bouts of exercise in the middle of the day! According to the Sydney Morning Herald, "A 2020 paper estimated that doing 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity, five days a week (the 2020 WHO guidelines recommend 150-300 minutes a week), would lead t...

Published on May 10, 2021

Two out of every three Australians who had severe Covid-19 are now facing long-haul symptoms including mild shortness of breath and weakness, with a small number having a persistent cough, headache, or loss of taste and smell, according to a study being conducted across 30 diffe...

Published on May 03, 2021

There's a positive to the bad RTW / workers' compensation news that has come out of NSW and Victoria in recent years: it's focused national attention on the costs and consequences of poorly managed RTW and sub-par compensation systems. In a just-aired episode of Insight on SBS, ...

Published on May 03, 2021

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that one review "by former judge Robert McDougall, QC, found icare’s own failures led to “manifold unhappy consequences,” including a poor claims management scheme, plummeting return to work rates and increased costs. He said i...

Published on Apr 19, 2021

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal of Australia has found that covert surveillance footage can not show a worker's state of mind, ruling against an employer's claim that a worker was deceptive about experiencing anxiety after being held at gunpoint whilst working as a security ...

Published on Apr 13, 2021

Last week, we reported that Victorian police had won the right to disconnect - that is, be free from the expectation that they will routinely respond to work phone calls or emails outside their normal working hours. However, some employer groups warn that the right to disconnect...

Published on Apr 09, 2021

We're all familiar with the concept of physical fatigue, but WorkSafe Victoria wants to raise awareness of two additional types of fatigue: mental fatigue ("I've been using my brain too much and now I can't make decisions!") and emotional fatigue ("I've given you everything I ca...

Published on Apr 06, 2021

The French have already given us so much! Champagne, croissants, the etch-a-sketch, stethoscopes, Braille, hairdryers, pasteurised milk, pencil sharpeners - and now the right to disconnect from digital work. First legislated in France, the right to slip the digital leash has now...

Published on Mar 30, 2021

For people with non-specific low back pain (LBP), osteopathic manipulation treatment (OMT) is unlikely to provide clinically meaningful benefits, according to new research published by JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers compared OMT to a similar, sham treatment: while real ...

Published on Mar 30, 2021

Sexual harassment at work is common and toxic, experienced by two in five women and one in four men. Employers who don't actively and effectively manage the risk can be held vicariously liable for the actions of individual workers and may also pay high indirect costs via workers...

Published on Mar 17, 2021

Musculoskeletal Australia has released the results of its 2020 National Consumer Survey, in a report entitled Making the Invisible Visible. The survey was devised and completed by people with MSDs, so it provides a unique insight into the experiences of this group. Rob Anderson,...

Published on Mar 08, 2021

If you've consumed any national news over the last few weeks, you've likely been thinking about sexual harassment at work. We all know it doesn't only happen in Canberra and most women would say that it's actually reasonably common - a fact borne out by a 2018 survey from the Au...

Published on Mar 04, 2021

Exposure to vibration is one of the top health risks at mining sites, injuring workers and making a significant contribution to workers' compensation costs. Adverse health outcomes include white finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, musculoskeletal disorders and neurological disorders...

Published on Feb 25, 2021

A new one pager from Safe Work Australia (SWA) encourages employers with indoor workplaces to ensure heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are well-maintained and operating properly as part of the fight against COVID-19 transmission. For more information on re...

Published on Feb 22, 2021

The experts have spoken: working from bed is not a thing. Which isn't to say people aren't doing it, just that they shouldn't! According to a study of 1000 American conducted in November last year, nearly three quarters had worked from their bed at some point during the pandemic...

Published on Feb 09, 2021

Disconnecting from the bullies, checking the internal criticisms, being aware of things that may trigger the bad old feelings and finding support to help yourself thrive again all make the grade in Grace Jennings-Edquist's guide to recovering from workplace bullying.  ...

Published on Feb 05, 2021

Another year, another round of accusations of bad behaviour in workers' compensation. In this case, it's the federal scheme Comcare that's facing scrutiny, with allegations of doctor-shopping and bullying in independent medical examinations (IME). There are also claims from lawy...

Published on Feb 03, 2021

Safe Work Australia has released a suite of new practical guides to help employers prevent sexual harassment, violence, aggression and domestic violence at work. Directly and indirectly, workplace experiences such as being subject to harassment or violence (physical or emotional...

Published on Jan 27, 2021

Sometimes, according to this excellent and practical article from the Job Accommodation Network in the US. If a worker presents with a medical certificate saying they need time away from the phones due to anxiety, stress or some other condition, the employer should ask questions...

Published on Jan 27, 2021

Health care has a "work till you drop" mentality and it hurts workers, employers and patients, says Kathy Espinoza, assistant vice president of ergonomics and safety at Keenan and Associates. She argues that overtime has a negative impact on occupational injury rates, illness an...

Published on Jan 12, 2021

Exercise snacks, working while on the run, and taking an active, outdoor lunch break are three great tips for staying active in the home office, from Julie Broderick via The Conversation. And here's a hot tip from the pro-work-from-homer collating these news items: the kids' tra...

Published on Jan 12, 2021

Around 40% of GP consultations in Victoria between January and September 2020 were via telehealth, and in NSW during the same period, 30% of weekly GP consultations were conducted over the phone. GPs expect telehealth to stick around post-pandemic, as it is convenient for both t...

Published on Dec 15, 2020

A Health and Community Services Union survey of almost 400 Victorian mental health workers notes high levels of exhaustion, fatigue, and anxiety within the sector.  With the Victorian healthcare system under pressure, healthcare workers say they face increased stress, exces...

Published on Dec 15, 2020

Misbehaving customers and insecure employment are the biggest stressors on retail worker mental health, according to the report Indicators of a Thriving Workplace Report, Spotlight on the Retail Industry 2020. The report highlights an urgent need to deal with these issues, as tw...

Published on Nov 25, 2020

The Productivity Commission report on mental health estimates that 2.8 million working Australians have mental illness, taking an average of 10 to 12 days off per year due to psychological distress. Now, the Australian Council of Trade Unions has joined forces with insurer Emplo...

Published on Nov 09, 2020

Comcare has released a new guide for employers and managers with practical introductory tools, resources and strategies on how to identify and manage psychosocial safety risks. There's information on important topics such as good work, legislative requirements and promoting heal...

Published on Nov 02, 2020

Lawyer Angela Brooks has a sage word of advice for insurers and employers: provide proactive support for injured workers who may have a vulnerability to mental ill-health, including those who have made a claim for a physical injury. Mental health problems are expected to rise ac...

Published on Oct 20, 2020

What do Bunnings and Microsoft have in common? We're sure there are many answers to this question, some hilarious, but the relevant answer here is: they're both part of a new alliance of Australian business leaders who want to tackle mental health at work, known as the Corporate...

Published on Oct 20, 2020

This is a really great look at the power of routines, from Lisa Leong of This Working Life on Radio National. It touches on everything from meditation to priority-setting, the 5am club and creating boundaries that help insulate you and your family from an "always on" work cultur...

Published on Oct 20, 2020

"Motion is lotion," says A. Lynn Millar, a physical therapist and fellow emeritus at the American College of Sports Medicine. However, people who experience joint pain often feel that they should avoid exercise, perceiving that they are doing more damage to an already sore area....

Published on Sep 07, 2020

Injured while driving a truck on a mine site, Duncan Rush went through months of recovery and difficult physio before realising he could never return to his job. A decade later, ongoing pain from nerve damage still disturbs his sleep, but he's found a new trade and a new passion...

Published on Sep 07, 2020

This is a challenging time for many people, healthcare workers especially. In this article, psychiatrist Dr Frank Chow lists some of the warning signs that a worker may be struggling with their mental health (e.g. problems relating to performance and out-of-character irritabilit...

Published on Sep 07, 2020

Pets in the workplace may remind "employees to pause, take a break through short walks and a little playtime providing small distractions to allow mental breaks and reduce stress. Some studies have shown that not only do pets have calming effects but can also induce more cordial...

Published on Aug 24, 2020

Here's a depressing reason for a millennial to like working from home: at least now when her toxic boss berates her in front of colleagues she can now get an actual hug from her mum rather than sneaking off to the bathroom for a teary phone call. Amidst the angst, this article f...

Published on Aug 11, 2020

We talk a lot about employee mental health, but what about the mental health of business owners - specifically, small business owners, who find tax time really stressful? “So far, the idea that tax and mental health can be connected has been an unfamiliar one, but ours wil...

Published on Jul 28, 2020

We'll file this in the "are you for real??!" basket: Business News Australia reports that meat processor JBS Australia has asked COVID-positive staff to return to work, and conducted on-site testing in unsafe conditions, according to reports from the United Workers Union. (JBS d...

Published on Jul 28, 2020

SIRA has referred icare to the NSW anti-corruption authority, as questions about the scheme's financial viability and underpayment of workers become more pressing, according to a joint investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and ABC TV's Four Corners. Meanwhile, the ...

Published on Jun 30, 2020

A few years ago, VicHealth surveyed 755 Aboriginal Victorians, some living in the city, some in rural areas. 97% had experienced racism in the last year. 44% said they experienced racism once a week. 42% said they'd confronted racism at work. Racism causes psychological distress...

Published on Jun 30, 2020

The language the linked article uses ain't pretty (full disclosure: it's written in legalese) but the question it raises is fascinating: namely, is compensation owed to a worker when a work injury (in this case, PTSD) later transforms an existing genetic predisposition (in this ...

Published on Jun 18, 2020

As many of us head back to the office for the first time in months, our friends at Superfriend have put together a tip sheet to help employers manage the transition. We love the way they acknowledge the emotions of post-pandemic RTW: "It is important that employers and people...

Published on Jun 18, 2020

A: "The longer you are on high doses of the medications, for at least three quarters of people on long-term opioids, it's actually making their pain worse," pain management expert Associate Professor Michael Vagg recently told the ABC. Click through for an excellent article that...

Published on Jun 16, 2020

Pandemics put retail staff on the frontline, directly in contact with the sneezing, wheezing, germ-ridden general public, so it makes sense retail workers might need some extra mental health support in these trying times. Retail organisations could do worse than follow the lead ...

Published on Jun 16, 2020

Shift workers on night shifts are approximately 25–30 per cent more at risk of injury than those working day shifts, and working a 12-hour rather than an eight-hour shift increases the risk of injury, again by 25–30 per cent with risk increasing evenly over four cons...

Published on Jun 01, 2020

WorkCover is seeking to recover more than $303,000 in workers' compensation payments, plus indemnities against related future costs, claiming that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) failed to stop the long-running misconduct of a known bully. The alleged bullying tactics includ...

Published on May 22, 2020

A "supportive work culture is like giving everyone in the organisation a mental health inoculation," says Julia Gillard, in her foreword to Answering the Call, Beyond Blue's national survey on the mental health and wellbeing of frontline workers. The report, which focuses on Aus...

Published on May 18, 2020

A 30% spike in mental illness; a 25% spike in the suicide rate: these are some of the dire predictions mental health experts are making about the pandemic aftermath. They're urging the government to take action now to improve Australia's "dysfunctional" public mental health syst...

Published on May 18, 2020

Physical distancing is often impossible in manufacturing and construction workplaces. Now, blue collar workers in the UK are saying they're being pressured to return to work, putting them at greater risk of contracting COVID-19. ...

Published on May 18, 2020

Research conducted at the Australian National University has shown that 60% of healthcare workers go to work when they have the flu - and ALL (99%) go to work if the flu symptoms seem minor (e.g. a sore throat and mild cough). The RACGP wants health workers (and the rest of us) ...

Published on May 04, 2020

A Victorian train driver has struggled to secure compensation for work-related injuries to her chest and breast that she says developed due to riding a rough line. She says other female drivers suffer the same painful symptoms she did, but are too embarrassed to speak out in the...

Published on May 04, 2020

Really specific! The SWA website now allows you to drill down by industry, business size and topic (e.g. workers' compensation). They've promised to update the website regularly, with new guidance and information as the situation evolves.  ...

Published on May 04, 2020

You know, the ones where you go, "They disputed whaaaaat?" In 2018 a child protection worker was trapped in a bathroom for two hours awaiting police assistance, whilst teenagers threatened to kill her and the child she was protecting. Afterwards, the Department of Child Protecti...

Published on Apr 21, 2020

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Published on Apr 21, 2020

Close to 200 Australians have lodged workers' compensation claims or notifications related to COVID-19, with NSW  accounting for the vast majority. Dr Stacey Jenkins of the school of management and marketing at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga said “Workers&rsq...

Published on Apr 21, 2020

Exercise, eat healthfully, engage with colleagues and don't forget about the EAP (employee assistance program) are the four Es of workplace wellness, according to John Hilton in Human Resources Director. ...

Published on Apr 15, 2020

With many people temporarily working from home due to COVID-19, some organisations will see a mass RTW when the need for social distancing ends. But the "old normal" is unlikely to return, and employers should start planning the necessary changes now. "Different layouts; stagger...

Published on Mar 31, 2020

Safe Work Australia have made a clear call: they want employers to let people work from home if possible. If that's not possible, they've assembled other resources including template signs, an infographic on what to do if there is a suspected case of coronavirus at work, as well...

Published on Mar 24, 2020

For many small businesses, profit margins are slim at the best of times and the business has no chance of coping with a sharp, unexpected drop in revenue that could last months or longer. In the Sydney Morning Herald, Tony Featherstone is urging us to start thinking now about th...

Published on Mar 17, 2020

Employers have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring a safe work environment, wherever that work is carried out. ...

Published on Mar 17, 2020

Sing happy birthday twice, TWICE!, whilst comprehensively covering every inch of skin on your hands with soap. And don't touch the tap! ...

Published on Mar 09, 2020

Women make twice as many workers' compensation claims for harassment, bullying and workplace violence as do men, and rates have been trending upwards for the last five years, according to new data from Safe Work Australia.  Australian Council of Trade Unions assistant se...

Published on Mar 09, 2020

Probably not, according to lawyers from Cooper Grace Ward...unless I drive a minibus full of infected tourists to and from the airport, or (less likely) I attended a non-negotiable work meeting in a contagion hot-spot. In fact: "Given the low numbers of infections and, just a...

Published on Mar 09, 2020

Women working full-time trail their male colleagues on two-thirds of the indicators that contribute to a thriving workplace, according to SuperFriend's Indicators of a Thriving Workplace report. The Australian Financial Review says, "Major wellbeing issues faced by women rela...

Published on Feb 24, 2020

Pink hair, sexual harassment scapegoating and shoulder pain were all in the mix when the Fair Work Commission ruled in a favour of an unfairly dismissed service station worker in February, ordering her employer to pay more than three months workers' compensation (minus a month f...

Published on Feb 11, 2020

Firies aren't the only workers who may see a jump in workers' comp claims following our horror fire season, according to Kate Ralph - pharmacists, charity workers and/or wildlife rescue personnel may have suffered work injury too. ...

Published on Feb 11, 2020

Formal workplace flexibility arrangements boost parents’ wellbeing and help them manage both work and family life but informal flexiblity (e.g. taking personal calls at work, rearranging meetings or leaving early but catching up at home) are associated with more distress, ...

Published on Jan 28, 2020

Australian research supported by Beyond Blue has shown that junior doctors who work more than 55 hours per week have double the risk of common mental health problems and suicidal ideation. Based on data from 2013, around a quarter of junior doctors fall into this category. ...

Published on Jan 28, 2020

The banking Royal Commission showed us all that culture drives behaviour. In this podcast, ASIC's cultural risk expert Elizabeth Arzadon digs deep into the way leaders can measure and change organisational culture for the better, beginning with the question, "What kind of cultur...

Published on Jan 13, 2020

RTW people are people-people, and we know a lot of our readers will be looking for a way to help the many Australians - not to mention animals and ecosystems - impacted by this terrible fire season. The Guardian has some good advice, in tl;dr form: do your homework, give cash an...

Published on Jan 13, 2020

Pedestrian TV shares their best blues-beating tips for January, including getting healthy, practicing gratitude, taking breaks and scheduling like a boss. ...

Published on Jan 13, 2020

Questionable claims models and inadequate oversight of workers' compensation systems in NSW and Victoria are drawing national attention. Investigative journalist Adele Ferguson says that workers' compensation schemes may have dodged the "royal commission blowtorch," but "serious...

Published on Dec 11, 2019

Move over Google! Workplace wellness is no longer the domain of tech companies: the giants of industry are muscling in too. From plants to airconditioning to green outdoor spaces, workers in industrial spaces will likely be the next beneficiaries of the wellness revolution. But ...

Published on Dec 11, 2019

Many injured people develop a mental health problem (e.g. depression or anxiety) on top of the original injury. In fact, a recent report from Deloitte "showed that insurance claims for secondary conditions such as depression or anxiety were rising at a faster rate than primary c...

Published on Dec 11, 2019

Researchers say there's a link between work-related stress and antidepressant medication use, which costs Australia around $212 million per year. Global expert on work health and professor at UniSA, Maureen Dollard, wants us to know that it's not all about work pressure and...

Published on Dec 03, 2019

Whether you suffer from depression yourself, or simply support others who do, this article written by Jennifer Wong and published on ABC Life is enlightening. Wong writes about the non-linear road to recovery, the need for social support and simple pleasures, and also shares too...

Published on Nov 19, 2019

If you find yourself up against the staid and hidebound at work, organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber might be able to help. You can mine her wisdom online, as she speaks to Lisa Leong on the always excellent This Working Life (Radio National).  ...

Published on Oct 30, 2019

What we want to know is, what are they going to do about it? The ABC has detailed some of the problems faced by federal police officers who develop PTSD as a result of repeated exposure to stress and trauma whilst serving Australian interests overseas, only to be further stresse...

Published on Oct 29, 2019

“After my episode aired I wanted to kill myself and I started drinking more alcohol in an attempt to self-medicate my injury,” Nicole Prince told the New South Wales Compensation Commission, describing her experiences on reality TV show House Rules. Prince presented ...

Published on Oct 22, 2019

The Workplace Employment Lawyers have launched a blog series on the legal ins and outs of workplace injury and illness. First up, they tackle independent medical examinations (IMEs), providing information on when and how employers can direct workers to have an IME. As yet, they ...

Published on Oct 08, 2019

Five years ago, architect Kerwin Datu was diagnosed with type 1 bipolar disorder after what he describes as "a period of profound social isolation conducting fieldwork in West Africa". Now he has a message for employers and coworkers: people with severe mental illnesses can and ...

Published on Oct 08, 2019

It's a dismal stat: over the last three years, Comcare has rejected three out of every four claims for psychological injury, but only one in ten physical injury claims. According to an unidentified Comcare spokesman, "Determinations for psychological injury claims are invariably...

Published on Sep 24, 2019

No, no, we're not advising you to go back and re-watch Portlandia. But we do think you might be interested in a little study from the University of South Australia, which found that nature-based art in the workplace can reduce stress and mental fatigue. The study was conducte...

Published on Sep 10, 2019

Are you an insurance professional with a bright idea about workers' compensation (or any other aspect of your field)? Do you want the opportunity to pitch your idea to a panel of people who could help you put it into practice - as well as taking home prize money and accessing me...

Published on Sep 10, 2019

Here's the best idea we've heard since our last overseas jaunt: instead of thinking about retirement as something that happens at the end of your working life, consider taking  a series of "mini-retirements": opportunities to "dial down external pressures while focusing on ...

Published on Aug 27, 2019

RaeLea Foley was bucked off her horse while working on a cattle station and suffered a brain injury. Although she was back on the job after five weeks, she can no longer do everything she used to, and coming to terms with these limitations has been a struggle.  Ms Foley ...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

We were delighted to read about the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline, a free and confidential phone service for performing artists recently launched in Victoria. Many in the industry do not have access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP), either because they are independent th...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

Looking after their bodies isn't necessarily a high priority for young workers in physically demanding industries, but this lack of care may well come back to bite them as they age.  Physiotherapist David Hall told the ABC that young tradespeople and labourers can feel p...

Published on Nov 19, 2019

Psychologist Dr Marny Lishman says reducing stress is the best way to recover from work-related burnout--the only kind of burnout, according to recent advice from the World Health Organisation. Her tips include exercise, socialising, getting out into nature, and seeing a ps...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

You probably don't need another reminder of the grim reality, but here it comes anyway: Australia has a very poor track record when it comes to managing work-related mental ill-health. Now, there's a glimmer of light on the horizon, in the form of new clinical practice guideline...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

According to the website Preventing Overdiagnosis, "Overdiagnosis happens when people get a diagnosis they don’t need. It can happen when people without symptoms are diagnosed and then treated for a disease that won’t actually cause them any symptoms, and it can happ...

Published on Jul 15, 2019

Earlier this month Collingwood Magpies star Dayne Beams announced he was taking an indefinite break from AFL to deal with his mental health. In the past he's spoken openly about his struggles after the death of his father, as well his distress as a target of online trolling. ...

Published on Jul 15, 2019

An Australian man who had seven operations to his hips and back after falling out of a boom lift at work five years ago is now competing in international cycling races.  Before his injury Daniel Pomering wasn't a cyclist, but decided to follow in his wife's footstep...

Published on Jul 15, 2019

The Clinical Framework for the Delivery of Health Services was published by  the Victorian Transport Accident Commission and Worksafe Victoria in 2012, and subsequently endorsed by Comcare. (We've covered it here and here.) Basically, it encourages evidence-based treat...

Published on Jun 26, 2019

Australian paramedics experience Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at around twice the rate of other health professionals. A new review from researchers at Flinders University, commissioned by the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) has found that: “Paramedics rep...

Published on Jun 26, 2019

The Heads of Workers Compensation Authorities (HWCA) invite you to participate in the consultation on the DRAFT Principles for Practice for Workplace Rehabilitation Providers, developed to support Workplace Rehabilitation Providers deliver services to individuals with a compensa...

Published on May 27, 2019

People who claim workers' compensation in Victoria, NSW, South Australia and the Commonwealth may be entitled to a lump sum for future loss of earnings, but they can't claim a lump sum for future medical needs. For those with catastrophic injuries and permanent impairment, this ...

Published on May 20, 2019

Do you work with GPs who would benefit from learning more about occupational cancer? The Cancer Council has developed an e-learning module to increase GP’s awareness of workplace carcinogens and cancers. The module includes sections on occupational carcinogens in the Au...

Published on May 20, 2019

Sarah Guthleben from Equip Super, workplace health expert Niki Ellis and mental health campaigner Mitch Wallis will join the board of workplace wellbeing advocate Superfriend, bringing the board close to an equal gender split. Superfriend CEO Margo Lydon told Investment Magaz...

Published on May 06, 2019

Australian health and wellbeing technology company WorkScore has released new research claiming that almost 40% of 8,800 workers surveyed report losing sleep because of work stress. According to the research, workers who sleep less than 6 hours a night work more, have higher ...

Published on May 03, 2019

Many organisations respond to workplace injury by pushing compliance with new or existing rules and procedures - however safety often hinges on proactive responses to challenging situations. “Our research showed that employees who were compliant with the safety rules in...

Published on Apr 17, 2019

Melbourne-based digital agency Versa abolished Wednesdays 12 months ago, splitting the 37.5-hour working week into two two-day blocks.  Managing director Jonny Clow was initially a sceptic.  "To lose a whole day — 20 per cent of revenues — you know it...

Published on Apr 16, 2019

RTW professionals and employer representatives are sometimes frustrated by the doctor-patient bond, especially when there are questions about the legitimacy or work-relatedness of an injury. Should doctors simply believe injured workers' reports, or is a more skeptical attitude ...

Published on Apr 16, 2019

Working in a pharmacy it's almost inevitable: you're going to have to deal with an agro customer at some point. So it makes sense that pharmacists would be particularly interested in creating mentally healthy workplaces. The Australian Journal of Pharmacy E-Mag has published a f...

Published on Apr 16, 2019

Warning: this is a story about violent crime in the workplace, so please don't read it if you think it might disturb you... Dr Andrew Taylor was shot at work, by a gunman intent on revenge. The offence? A medical report that he believed underplayed his workplace injuries, result...

Published on Apr 05, 2019

Aaron Goonrey and Jenni Mandel of Lander and Rogers law firm strongly believe that older workers should be nurtured - not stigmatised. Stereotypes limit everyone. If you're wedded to the idea that older workers are set in their ways and on their way out the door anyway, you'r...

Published on Mar 22, 2019

When you think about musical therapy in a hospital, most likely you think of it as something offered to the patients: the fabulous Hush program comes to mind. The Sunshine Coast University Hospital has taken a different approach, installing a grand piano in the main foyer so ...

Published on Mar 19, 2019

We're saddened to report that Anthony White, the Queensland stonemason who helped raise the alarm about the dangers of silica dust, has passed away from silicosis aged just 36. Mr White's brother, Shane Parata, also has the disease. In the wake of his brother's death, he's ...

Published on Mar 10, 2019

Ex-BHP workers with black lung disease (pneumoconiosis, a potentially fatal disease caused by prolonged exposure to coal dust with no known cure) have proposed a one cent per tonne, per week levy on coal produced to create a fund for sick workers and their families once workers'...

Published on Mar 10, 2019

In a world first, a woman who developed PTSD working as a crime reporter for The Age has been awarded $180,000 in damages by the Victorian County Court, which deemed her workplace to have been unsafe. Although not strictly speaking a workers' compensation case, we're bringing it...

Published on Feb 11, 2019

You've probably heard about the Maccas worker who toppled from the roof after smoking a cigarette up there prior to the start of the night shift. Many people raised their eyebrows when the Industrial Court of Queensland ruled she was eligible for workers' compensation for the br...

Published on Jan 15, 2019

We've all said it: "I don't have time to exercise." But what if you could give yourself all the benefits of an hour-long workout (increased fitness, better mood) in just ten minutes. (Full disclosure: you'll also have to find time for a warm up and a shower or two.) Profes...

Published on Jan 15, 2019

Following on from a recent report that found that FIFO workers are more likely than workers to experience high levels of psychological distress, a West Australian state MP is calling on the resource industry to do more in terms of rostering for good mental health. Labor Membe...

Published on Dec 19, 2018

Pregablin, a nerve pain drug often sold under the brand name Lyrica, is frequently prescribed for back pain. Initially marketed as a non-addictive alternative to opioids, it's becoming increasingly clear that the drug is both addictive and dangerous. Side effects include depress...

Published on Dec 13, 2018

"I question why should we as a community accept an industry inflicting higher than normal psychological distress and mental harm on its employees," said Peter Miller, whose son Rhys Conner took his own life in a FIFO accommodation camp on July 25, 2013. "We don't accept as a ...

Published on Nov 29, 2018

Pregabalin (sold as Lyrica) is a drug commonly prescribed for patients on workers' compensation. Its intended use is as an anti-epileptic and a painkiller for nerve pain.  According to new research, "ambulance call-outs associated with the misuse of pregabalin hav...

Published on Nov 29, 2018

In this video link, co-founder and non-executive director of RUOK, Graeme Cowan, spells out his acronym of support for friends and colleagues who tell you they're not doing well. Graeme uses the acronym I CARE: Identify Compassion Access appropriate support...

Published on Nov 29, 2018

"At its most basic level, regulation is used to control risks that lead to societal problems," writes Dariel de Sousa, on legal blog  Lexology. So what does it take to be an effective regulator in workers compensation? The short answer: focusing on desired outcomes (e.g. ti...

Published on Nov 19, 2018

Jessicah Mendes is an ABC journalist and private investigator who spent a year working for the insurance industry,  mostly on cases involving people with income protection or disability claims relating to a mental health condition.  Reflecting on her experience...

Published on Nov 09, 2018

"Australians are increasingly using prescription or over-the-counter painkillers to ease emotional, rather than physical, pain," writes criminologist Kev Dertadian on The Conversation.  "Our cultural understanding of pain is changing, and as a result it’s becoming ...

Published on Nov 06, 2018

We highly, highly recommend you follow the link and read this fantastic opinion piece by Zoë Wundenberg, who, personally and professionally, knows all the benefits the Invictus Games bring returned Defence Force members: not just recovery and rehabilitation but also...

Published on Oct 23, 2018

A national plan to reduce medical overdiagnosis, and reduce the harm it can cause patients is underway by the Wiser Health research collaboration.  “We know harm can come from overdiagnosis,” says Chief Medical Officer, Professor Murphy, “from cau...

Published on Oct 23, 2018

Alarming levels of accelerated Silicosis found in stonemasons who work with engineered stone, a popular kitchen benchtop material. With an expected 300 cases by December in Queensland alone, Brisbane-based senior occupational physician Dr Graeme Edwards says Austra...

Published on Oct 23, 2018

While acceptance of the need for mental health days has increased, 55% of workers surveyed still believe that taking leave may lead to negative repercussions.  Concerned with what the research shows, psychologist Sabina Read said “Workers may feel taking...

Published on Oct 09, 2018

Mental health at work will be a key focus of a Productivity Commission investigation, the Federal Government has announced.  "It's focusing on the causes and the prevalence of mental health, the ability to recognise it, and help provide treatment, support,...

Published on Oct 05, 2018

“Burnout is becoming more prevalent as time goes on and it has a lot to do with the intensity of our work environments as people need to perform at such a high level in order to succeed,” Dr Michael Leiter, world renowned expert on the psychology of work, tol...

Published on Sep 25, 2018

There's a "hidden workforce" of carers in Australia: around 2.7 billion Australians provide $60 billion worth of care each year, $13 billion of which is in the form of caring for someone with a mental health issue. Many unpaid carers are also workers; and many i...

Published on Sep 20, 2018

"If our workplaces and our workmates are supportive, and we take the breaks we should, seek the support we need when recognising we’re finding it tough or help is required, we’d all live in a much healthier space," says Business SA CEO Nigel McBride. He&...

Published on Sep 10, 2018

Simonie Fox, group strategy manager of rehabilitation and claims at AIA Australia, told the Investment Magazine Group Insurance Summit: “We’ve got oncologists whose patient load is growing and growing. Consequently, they’re really focusing on survival,...

Published on Aug 28, 2018

Follow the link for a fantastic resource from the Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance, laying out six key areas and evidence-based strategies to help Australian employers maximise the mental health and wellbeing of workers. ...

Published on Aug 09, 2018

Deakin University conducted a return on investment study on sit / stand desks and found that they were excellent value for money. It would cost $185.2 million to provide 20% of Australian office workers with sit / stand desks, but would save 7492 “health-adjusted life y...

Published on Jul 31, 2018

Amie Steel, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, has written an excellent piece for The Conversation summarising the existing evidence on the benefits of osteopathy for conditions such as low back pain, pancreatitis, neck pain, back pain...

Published on Jul 31, 2018

Around 1.9% of Australian workers go to work high on ice, according to Business SA, South Australia's peak business lobby - increasing the risk of work injury, especially in safety critical roles. Management personnel at Pinnacle Drinks, based in the Barossa Valley,...

Published on Jul 17, 2018

A warning: the link in this heading leads to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald describing distressing scenes encountered by child protection workers. Please don't follow the link if you don't want to encounter such material at work. Our summary: the union that r...

Published on Jul 12, 2018

If you're after a bit of office worker affirmation, don't strike up a conversation with clinical exercise physiologist and corporate adviser Graeme Wright, who told PerthNow that desk-related work should come with a health warning. “If you look at tho...

Published on Jul 12, 2018

“Most insurers are saying that mental illness claims are on the increase,”  says Margo Lydon, chief executive of SuperFriend. “We’ve been talking for 10 to 11 years about how, globally, we’re going to be seeing greater claims in the mental h...

Published on Jul 06, 2018

The ABC have teamed up with Smiling Mind and former Sydney Swans captain Brett Kirk to develop a series of mindfulness meditations, including some designed to help deal with different forms of workplace stress. Specifically, meditations to help you: Regulate feelin...

Published on Jun 29, 2018

In claim farming, telemarketers try to recruit clients for personal injury claims and then sell the client referrals to law firms. The practice is banned in some Australian states and against ethical guidelines in others. But desperate times call for desperate measures. As re...

Published on Jun 19, 2018

Employee performance and well-being consultant Franziska Alesso Bendisch has profiled BankUnited’s Bank On Wellness program for Forbes, highlighting 5 characteristics that she believes have led to unusually high employee engagement with the program.  Sta...

Published on Jun 08, 2018

Happy managers are low on three key job stressors, according to new Australian research reported on The Conversation. Role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload all increase managers' unhappiness, while reducing performance.  "Put simply, managers are...

Published on Jun 05, 2018

Dr Vered Gordon is a GP consultant based at the Black Dog Institute. She says that managers often struggle to respond well when workers disclose mental health problems. She shared 5 tips with Smart Company: Respond to disclosure with compassion and support. ...

Published on Jun 05, 2018

People who stand all day for work can end up aching all over, especially if they have poor posture and few breaks. Kusal Goonewardena, founder of the Elite Akademy physiotherapy clinic, told the Sydney Morning Herald that "mini-steps" (aka walking on the spot) ...

Published on May 22, 2018

Full disclosure: we think you should all be listening to Best Practice, a podcast hosted by Richard Aedy for ABC Radio National. The most recent episode (which we link to here) asks "How do you react when you notice bad behaviour taking place in the office, in corporatio...

Published on May 22, 2018

Why? “People who are very active at work spend eight hours a day being active,” says Pieter Coenen, an occupational health researcher at VU University Medical Center in the Netherlands. “They may get very limited rest breaks; their heart rate and blood...

Published on May 08, 2018

Back in 2015, Greg Medcraft then chair of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), said: "Culture matters to ASIC because poor culture can be a driver of poor conduct. Culture has been at the root of some of the worst misconduct we’ve seen ...

Published on Apr 24, 2018

Over the last year we've covered some of the challenges RTW poses for women specifically. Is flexible work for men the answer? Libbie Lyons, director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, has called on senior managers to set targets for flexible work amongst male emplo...

Published on Apr 24, 2018

RTW professionals are often the nice guys and gals of the office, which according to Peter O'Connor from the school of Business and Management at Queensland University of Technology means that they could be compromising their own success at work. But don't worry, it&#...

Published on Apr 24, 2018

Workers' comp and WHS will face mega challenges over the next 20 years, according to a report prepared by Safe Work Australia in partnership with CSIRO’s Data61. The Workplace Safety Futures report identifies six megatrends set to shake things up: the extending...

Published on Apr 24, 2018

RTWMatters is created in suburban Melbourne, northern NSW, country Victoria, Tasmania, Darwin and even further afield, meaning that we depend on digital connectivity and home office environments. We love the flexibility of this working model but there are health and wellbeing...

Published on Apr 10, 2018

Arthritis Australia's national policy and government relations manager, Franca Marine, recently shared some tips for helping workers with athritis remain at work. Here's something we didn't know: there are actually more than 100 different conditions that fall unde...

Published on Apr 10, 2018

Yes you can, according to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which recently upheld Comcare's decision to cease covering massage therapy for a worker injured in 1989. The massages began as a treatment for back pain brought on by a chronic cough from exposure to cigarette...

Published on Mar 27, 2018

John Brogden has written a thoughtful and personal analysis of James Packer's decision to resign from the board of Crown Resorts because of struggles with mental illness. Our highlight: "The good news is our treatment of mental health gets better and better all the t...

Published on Mar 23, 2018

You might have seen recent reports of employers up in arms about "the growth of paid-for sick notes which they say are being handed out like headache tablets in some pharmacies". The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has issued a rejoinder, stressing that&nb...

Published on Mar 07, 2018

Some public service workers' compensation claims may soon be managed by private sector insurers, if government departments and agencies decide to take advantage of new options announced by Comcare this month. The public / private model has already been trialled in the Com...

Published on Feb 27, 2018

In Western Australia, medical staff are being trained in self-defense techniques by the police. In Victoria, 95% of healthcare workers have experienced physical or verbal assault, according to WorkSafe Victoria. Patients have been known to spit at nurses and doctors, hu...

Published on Feb 23, 2018

An independent review of the mental health of members of the Australian Federal Police has found that: Almost 25% reported experiencing moderate to high levels of current psychological distress; 14% reported clinically significant symptoms of depression ...

Published on Feb 20, 2018

Did you know that whiplash injuries cost more than spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries caused by car crashes, according to the University of Queensland's Recover Injury Research Centre? Or that half of all people with whiplash injuries will be moderately to severely ...

Published on Feb 20, 2018

Superfriend and Safe Work Australia have released Taking Action: A best practice framework for the management of psychological claims in the Australian workers’ compensation sector. (It's an update and adaptation of a framework initially prepared for the life i...

Published on Feb 12, 2018

For FIFO worker Barry Haack a wrist injury eventually became a mental breakdown, after colleagues dubbed him "The Milky Bar Kid" because they believed he was milking his injury while working modifed duties. Mr Haack's supervisor offered no support, and eventuall...

Published on Jan 29, 2018

The idea that heavy lifting causes hernias is outdated, according to evidence presented on behalf of Comcare to the Workers' Compensation Tribunal. Expert witness Professor O’Rourke gave evidence that there had been a shift in the medical consensus in recent ye...

Published on Jan 29, 2018

We know that work-related stress can give some people high blood pressure. Scientists are now beginning to understand how work stress can rewire the brain in ways that also impacts the body.  According to science writer Liam Mannix, "Chronic stress may be...

Published on Jan 16, 2018

On releasing the AMA’s position statement on mental health, Dr Michael Gannon says “Almost one in two Australian adults will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime, yet mental health and psychiatric care are grossly underfunded when compared to phy...

Published on Dec 18, 2017

Early in 2017, the Australian Financial Review asked then-chief executive Ahmed Fahour if he was aware of internal allegations that senior managers were delaying workers' compensation claims to secure bonuses. He implied that he was not, but it's now been reveale...

Published on Dec 08, 2017

"It was so embarrassing … it was humiliating and all this time I could have been seeing my own GP," supermarket delivery worker Nyrie Stringer told the ABC, describing her experience of attending the work doctor with her manager present. Ms Stringer had ...

Published on Dec 01, 2017

Former Essendon player John Barnes suffered hundreds of knocks to the head when he was in the AFL. For the last five years he's suffered from epilepsy and experienced memory loss that makes tasks like shopping for groceries difficult. “I’m staring at the ...

Published on Dec 01, 2017

In this vivid article, people who've suffered psychological injury at work share their stories with news.com.au. For example, a child protection worker described his breakdown: "I just cracked up, I burst into tears and I told her how scared I was that this kid could...

Published on Nov 20, 2017

Workers win, government wins and employers win when workplaces become more age-friendly, according to a study from the Australian National University. The ten-year, longitudinal study compared the health, wellbeing and levels of welfare dependency amongst older workers and th...

Published on Nov 06, 2017

The Executive Health Index summarises clinical data collected from 30,000 executive-level employees at 500 organisations across Australia between 2013 and 2017. The index ranks professions according to physical health, medical health, psychological health, lifestyle fact...

Published on Oct 23, 2017

Australian businesses aren't doing enough to contain the identify hazards and assess and manage risks associated with occupational asthma, according to Dr Peter Jezukaitis, an occuptational physician. Annually there are at least 200 confirmed asthma-related workers&#...

Published on Oct 16, 2017

Around 75,000 Australians live with a psychotic illness; only 22.4% of this group works. Researchers say that that a new program combining web-based cognitive remediation therapies and supported employment programs might make employment a real possibility for many more. ...

Published on Sep 25, 2017

A casual primary school teacher from NSW has been awarded a six-figure settlement from a school authority on top of the workers' compensation payments she to which she has been entitled since 2014. The teacher had sustained a severe psychiatric injury as a result of bully...

Published on Sep 15, 2017

Every year sleepy workers cause more than 10,000 serious workplace injuries. Currently, it's up to workers to self-identify as too tired for work. Researchers at Monash University think they might have a solution: saliva or blood tests that objectively assess whether work...

Published on Aug 28, 2017

Joshua Schulz was employed as a contractor, with no leave or superannuation entitlements, operating under an ABN and collecting GST, working part time as an Uber driver - and yet he was also eligible for workers' compensation from the company who leased him his vehicle, a...

Published on Aug 28, 2017

Six years ago, a Senate inquiry found "a conclusive link between firefighting and cancers, and found certain cancers to be up to five times more likely than in the general population". In NSW and Victoria, however, firefighters diagnosed with work-related cancers fa...

Published on Aug 14, 2017

Some sobering facts from the Australian: "The construction and mining sectors, the most exposed to the boom and bust of Australia’s economy in recent decades, have the biggest suicide problem. Unskilled labourers are most at risk. "Data from the Na...

Published on Aug 14, 2017

A former Woolworths’ cold room worker expected to lift more than 2000 heavy boxes per day to shoulder height and above has been awarded $231,211.45 in compensation plus legal costs by the Court of Appeal in Brisbane. The boxes weighed up to 24kg, and some were labe...

Published on Jul 31, 2017

Firing the employee might seem like a relatively easy solution to long-term work absence, given the many challenges of supporting people back to work after a period of prolonged absence. However, if the employee protests it's up to the employer to prove that, on the...

Published on Jul 31, 2017

To yell or not to yell: if that was the question, evidence suggests North Melbourne coach Brad Scott puts his vote firmly in the 'to yell" column, after being filmed indulging in an angry tirade at a poorly performing player this month. RMIT Professor of Manage...

Published on Jul 17, 2017

     We can't vouch for the comprehensiveness of this list, but the people at PR Wire have compiled a list of all the incentives (i.e. premium reductions) available in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. Scroll down to find the detail...

Published on Jul 07, 2017

WorkCover Queensland and Monash University have announced a new research partnership, which will focus on identifying and supporting injured workers who are at risk of poor return to work outcomes and/or pursuing common law against their employers. “There are...

Published on Jul 03, 2017

Small business owners face pressures that may undermine their own mental health, according to Anthony Hasphall, training team manager for St John Ambulance Victoria. And they can find it difficult to cope when employees struggle too: "For small business owners...

Published on Jul 03, 2017

Follow the link for a fantastic overview of the science and art of ergonomics, which focuses on shaping the environment to suit people (and not the other way around. According to Ted Dohrmann, managing director at Dohrmann Consulting based in Melbourne: "Wherever y...

Published on Jul 03, 2017

Finding it hard to concentrate at work? Irritable with your colleagues? You might be due a mental health day! Health and wellbeing psychologist Marny Lishman says, "In a perfect world, confessing to taking a mental health day would be great as, if everyone was...

Published on Jun 05, 2017

According to RUOK, Australian businesses need to create more interpersonal trust. Research recently launched by RUOK and NSW icare found that more than 1/3 (36%) of Australian workers aged 25-34 are concerned they'll be blamed for mistakes at work, compared with arou...

Published on Jun 02, 2017

More than one fifth of truckies experience mental illness and most aren't receiving treatment, according to research cited by the Transport Workers Union. They've partnered with beyondblue to draw attention to the issue. According to Beyondblue’s Head...

Published on May 22, 2017

Karen Hitchcock is a doctor and writer who has a regular column in the Monthly. Recently she had this to say about the sick day: "Getting sick has its advantages: time off work, the presence of doting loved ones, fiscal compensation, identity solidification, sympathy, at...

Published on May 22, 2017

If you're lucky enough to work for an organisation that allows its employees flexibility about where and when they do their work, here's some free advice from a lawyer: you need to have clear policies and procedures about working from home, and understand the impact t...

Published on May 19, 2017

In 2011 a truck driver on his way home from an induction session was involved in a head-on collision with a motorcyclist, who died at the scene. The driver subsequently developed PTSD, and his employer (Bernie Howe Pty Ltd) covered the workers' compensation payments. Fast...

Published on May 15, 2017

Surgeons often overestimate the benefits of their work and underestimate the harm of it, according to leading orthopaedic surgeon, Ian Harris. As reported in the Canberra Times, Professor Harris recently told a gathering of surgeons that around half of orthopaedic surgic...

Published on Apr 24, 2017

Best Practice airs on Radio National. In this episode, Rhonda Brighton-Hall asks questions about work satisfaction: "What makes a difference when it comes to how you feel about work and who are the happiest workers in Australia?" ...

Published on Apr 10, 2017

The ABC has published the transcript of a speech Julia Gillard gave at Adelaide University, hot on the heels of the news that she has replaced Jeff Kennett as the chair of Beyond Blue. Gillard announced that Beyond Blue has now set its sights on suicide prevention, and ...

Published on Apr 10, 2017

There was a 33% drop in serious workers compensation claims between 2000-01 and 2013-14, according to the 2014-15 Australian Workers’ Compensation Statistics report recently released by Safe Work Australia. However, median compensation paid for a serious claim rose...

Published on Mar 13, 2017

Lynn Morgan's work injury left her with incomplete paraplegia: in workers' compensation terminology, 92% total body disability. Now as a result of total immersion therapy she is free to move again. According to the Adelaide Advertiser, therapy creator Pete...

Published on Feb 22, 2017

Australia Post is again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with managers accused of manipulating injury rates and using corporate credit cards to pay for workers' medical treatments in order to secure bonuses for KPIs (key performance indicators) relating to LTI ...

Published on Jan 30, 2017

Do you feel as though you need to be a counsellor or psychiatrist to manage mental health issues in the workplace? The experts have spoken: just as you don't need to be an orthapedic surgeon to help someone cope with a broken leg, you don't have to be an expert in men...

Published on Jan 16, 2017

Two new reports from Safe Work Australia detailing the results of the 2016 Return to Work Survey are now online. The biannual survey compares the return to work experiences and outcomes of injured workers against a number of variables, including returning to work, workplace r...

Published on Dec 19, 2016

Do unexplained work absences give employers reason to direct an employee to see an Independent Medical Examiner (IME)? Well that depends, according to a 2016 ruling from the Fair Work Commission. Yes, if work absences are frequent or prolonged, and linked to any illness that ...

Published on Dec 05, 2016

You may hit a paywall when you attempt to follow the link attached to this story, but we couldn't ignore the Australian's coverage of the crackdown on mental health claims at Comcare, which sources say has been initiated at the behest of the federal government. ...

Published on Dec 05, 2016

Taking advice from lawyers before organising the work Christmas party? Bah humbug indeed! This alert from Lexology provides employers with hints and tips for an accident-free, claim-free festive season. Our favourite: designate a couple of senior staff members to stay sober, ...

Published on Dec 05, 2016

A former prosecutor who worked for the Specialist Sexual Offences Unit of the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP) between 2009 and 2011 is seeking damages for lost earnings and lost earning capacity. Zagi Kozarov says she suffers from severe chronic post-traum...

Published on Nov 21, 2016

There were 27,759 claims for serious injury from Australian truckers in the years 2010-11 to 2014-15, according to data from Safe Work Australia, averaging more than 5,000 claims per year. Manual handling injuries, falls and vehicular accidents accounted for 33.9%, 27.2% and ...

Published on Nov 18, 2016

A workers' compensation case that has bounced from the Adminstrative Appeals Tribunal, to the Federal Court, the High Court and back again is yet to establish whether a decision taken by the ABC constitutes reasonable management action undertaken in a reasonable manner. A...

Published on Nov 14, 2016

Unlike some other OECD countries, Australia does not currently include work rehabilitation as part of the standard management of cancer patients - but it should, according to an oncologist and senior staff specialist at the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Professor ...

Published on Nov 02, 2016

Architects can help organisations make the most of the link between staff wellbeing and productivity, according to a panel of designers at the recent  Architecture & Design’s Commercial Connect event held in Sydney. How? By using big data to analyse staff movem...

Published on Oct 24, 2016

Former Premier of Victoria and Chairman of Beyond Blue, Jeff Kennett, is lobbying the Business Council of Australia to endorse a plan that would make the mental health of employees one of the annual key performance indicators of ­private-sector executives and government d...

Published on Oct 24, 2016

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has thrown out a Comcare workers' claim for compensation after surveillance footage showed the worker playing a poker machine in a club and going on a fishing trip with friends where he helped lift a kayak from a trailer, picked up a fu...

Published on Oct 03, 2016

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) has supported Comcare's decision to stop covering massage treatments more than 12 years (and 648 massages) after a workplace accident left former public servant Jeffery Drummey with an injured back.  Deputy Preside...

Published on Sep 26, 2016

Comcare is headed for the Federal Court  to challenge the Administrative Appeals Tribunal's decision to award workers' compensation to ASIC senior manager John Chambers. The tribunal upheld Mr Chambers' claims that he suffered from anxiety and depression afte...

Published on Sep 18, 2016

For Comcare workers wondering what constitutes a legitimate workplace injury, secondary weight gain and jogging are out but moving to Canberra is in, reports The Australian - at least for now. Despite a 25% decrease in the number of claims lodged over the last 5 year period, ...

Published on Sep 11, 2016

Almost three quarters of Australian workplaces have no formal policy or procedure for managing staff mental health issues, according to a survey of Australian workplaces conducted by the law firm Minter Ellison. The national mental health commissioner, Professor Ian...

Published on Sep 11, 2016

The Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal has upheld Comcare's argument that a 9.30am jog does not constitute an "ordinary recess" from work when rejecting a workers compensation claim from Catalyst presenter Maryanne Demasi, who broke her hip on a 7km coas...

Published on Sep 04, 2016

Westpac faces action in the Federal Circuit Court from former metrics and performance insight manager, Angela Corlett, who says she was bullied at work. According to the Australian Financial Review, Ms Corlett "allegedly suffered from a back injury at work but Westp...

Published on Aug 28, 2016

A former Anglicare employee has been awarded more than $450,000 for psychological injuries sustained while caring for a 15-year old resident of an Anglicare facility in 2013. Rachel Greenway was subject to verbal abuse and physical threats from the teenager, and then required...

Published on Aug 28, 2016

Amie Frydenberg and Lyndon Albiston from Lander and Rogers Lawyers stress the importance of getting medical assessments right in an article outlining the ongoing dispute between the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) on behalf of Mr Michael Haylett (Hayle...

Published on Aug 21, 2016

UK Comedian Ricky Gervaise is just one of thousands to support an Australian campaign to start conversations about suicide and men's mental health. The initiative asks men to post selfies on social media with the tag #ItsOKToTalk. Rugby player Luke Ambler developed the id...

Published on Aug 14, 2016

41 Australian military personnel and veterans have commited suicide this year, the same number of Australians who were killed in Afghanistan during the 13 years of war. Grieving families have united to call for adequate support from authorities to help address the issue. The ...

Published on Aug 14, 2016

Rebates to improve the safety of all terrain vehicles (ATVs) are being made available in Victoria and NSW. The scheme will be administered by the Victorian Farmers Federation in Victoria. Grants of up to $1200 can to towards fitting rollover protection or buying an alternativ...

Published on Aug 07, 2016

The chair of the Senate inquiry into black lung believes that there has been a flawed testing regime, and said that Australia should adopt national standards for the testing of black lung in coal workers. There have been 11 cases of pneumoconiosis (black lung) discovered sinc...

Published on Jul 31, 2016

An Adelaide businessman imported 8000 cement sheets which were laced with asbestos. The company is urgently trying to track down former employees to warn them of the risks and to offer health assessments and counselling. The contamination was not discovered until 2015, but th...

Published on Jul 24, 2016

Workers at Perth Children's Hospital were covered by a white substance after drilling into roof, however the area was not isolated for 24 hours. The material was later found to be asbestos. Opposition health spokesman said, "John Holland has had an infinite number of...

Published on Jul 24, 2016

A flight attendant was arrested and jailed for three days in the United States following accusations by a workmate that he sexually assaulted her. He spent a night in a police cell before being transferred to Orange County jail. The police did not proceed with any charges aga...

Published on Jul 17, 2016

The most recent set of data from Safe Work Australia shows that workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishery industries are at highest risk of injury and fatality. There were 686 deaths in these industries between 2003 and 2014, accounting for 23 percent of all workplace ...

Published on Jul 10, 2016

Impairment through drug and alcohol use greatly increases the risk of injury in the workplace. Around half of all workplace incident occur as a result of drug abuse according to research. Tackling the issue improves worker health, workplace stability and increases workplace p...

Published on Jun 19, 2016

Research has revealed that 26 percent of people aged between 12 and 25 years of age would not tell anyone if they had a personal mental health issue. 52 percent of people in this age group who had experienced a mental health issue in the past year said that they would be emba...

Published on Jun 19, 2016

It has emerged that thousands of truck drivers may not be covered for workers' compensation despite paying for their policies. CGU and WorkSafe Victoria recently denied a claim for compensation over a woman's husband's death. The driver worked for a trucking giant...

Published on Jun 19, 2016

Hundreds of truck drivers and their families held protests and convoys around the country to demand an end to the pressure placed on drivers. This included a rally in Sydney after a convoy of 240 drivers across Sydney Harbour Bridge, tranport workers holding a 'go slow...

Published on Jun 12, 2016

The The United Firefighters Union's Victorian Secretary Peter Marshall is reported to have written to Queensland MP's last year advising that there wasn't enough evidence to support the automatic inclusion of volunteer firefighters in a compensation scheme. He wro...

Published on May 29, 2016

An app has been developed by Hall & Wilcox which helps to assess whether a claim is likely to be recovered. The platform is able to tap into an insurere's entire portfolio to help identify claims with recovery potential, and helps the insurer to meet the requirements ...

Published on May 29, 2016

A former trainee fighter pilot suffering from vertigo had his claims for compensation rejected by Comcare, the Federal Court and the High Court and has taken his fight to the International Human Rights Commission. The man believes that the vertigo was the result of adverse re...

Published on May 22, 2016

From September 1, all Comcare payments will be paid directly to employees and the service providers via electronic funds transfer. Email will be used for information about claims and payment advice. As a result of the change, funds will be received sooner, and it will speed u...

Published on May 22, 2016

Mental illness is estimated to cost Australian businesses $10.9 billion each year. One in five Australians siffer from a mental health condition every year, and it's estimated that around 45 percent of people will have a mental health condition in their lifetime. Computer...

Published on May 01, 2016

The Comcare Work Health and Safety Awards are now open for nomations. The awards this year will introduce new categories which reflect Comcare's emphasis on minimising harm as well as helping injured workers back to good health and a return to work. The conference theme f...

Published on Apr 24, 2016

The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union president is seeking the abolishment of the Work for the Dole Scheme. The campaign follows the death of an 18 year old man who fell from a trailer being towed by a tractor in Toowoomba. Unemployed workers have no access to WorkCove...

Published on Apr 24, 2016

Law firm Maurice Blackburn is calling for the introduction of new laws to make franchisors responsible for the actions of franchisees when worklace laws are breached. Some franchisees employ people as independent contractors to avoid correct payment of wages and avoid paying ...

Published on Apr 24, 2016

Union workers and their families gathered outside Queensland's parliament house to demand immediate action from the government to stop black lung disease. The disease is caused by prolonged exposure to coal dust, and is frequently associated with mining. The disease was e...

Published on Apr 17, 2016

Employers need to be aware of the legal risks associated with employee burnout. These might include compensation claims, healthy and safety issues, bullying claims and breach of duty of care. Common causes of workplace stress include deadlines, overtime and heavy workloads. T...

Published on Mar 21, 2016

Taking a short nap at work has been shown to improve productivity, as well as minimise the risk of accidents and injury. The study was conducted by the Centre for Sleep Research at the University of Pennsylvania and they found that a siesta particularly helped workers involve...

Published on Mar 21, 2016

Worksafe has released statistics showing that the highest number of injury claims are from healthcare and social assistance workers. Worksafe are planning to address this through their Health Practice team. The team is developing targeted projects with key stakeholders and ma...

Published on Mar 21, 2016

During the eight years from 1 July 2003 to 30 June 2011, 356 people died while working on farms. This was 17% of all workplace fatalities. Safe Work Australia is strongly encouraging farmers to consult with workers, identify hazards, assess risks, control risks and keep a rec...

Published on Mar 14, 2016

The reports into CommInsure have prompted other large banks to review declined claims and out of date policy definitions. ASIC is looking closely at the industry, investigating claims handling, the product design of policies and consumer remediation. ASIC may impose penalties...

Published on Mar 14, 2016

Concerns have been raised that GPs may be counselling patients against pursing workers' compensation claims, concerned it may be detrimental to the workers' mental health. Some GPs also find the compensation system so onerous that they are relucant to follow through w...

Published on Mar 14, 2016

Safe Work Australia has released statistics showing that the number of females being seriously injured in the workplace continues to decline. They have fallen by 21% in the past 12 years. There has also been a 30% drop in fatal injuries for female workers over the same time p...

Published on Mar 07, 2016

A Four Corners / Fairfax investigation into the Commonwealth Bank's insurance arm, CommInsure, explored the stories of sick and dying people whose claims had been rejected by the insurer. These included a man diagnosed with leukaemia who was given only 12 months to live. ...

Published on Mar 06, 2016

The Royal Flying Doctor Service has called for a national injury and prevention plan, aimed at saving lives as well as billions of dollars. They hope to target people in rural and remote Australia, where people face double the risk of accident or death. The main causes of dea...

Published on Feb 29, 2016

Personal injury law firm Slater and Gordon has been given a month to restructure their organisation or it will be shut down by its banking syndicate. The syndicate includes Westpac and NAB. If the lenders are unhappy with the restructure, they can demand repayment of debts wi...

Published on Feb 29, 2016

A call centre worker suffered neck and shoulder injuries due to alleged telephone overuse and lodged a compensation claim. This claim was accepted. After working on modified duties for a time, her employment was terminated, as the employer decided that the applicant could not...

Published on Feb 22, 2016

The SA Greens are proposing penalties of up to $1million or 20 years in jail for employers who cause the death of a worker through negligence or indifference. It would create a new criminal offence of 'industrial manslaughter'. The proposal has union support. The bill...

Published on Feb 22, 2016

The Turnbull government is looking to establish a parliamentary injury compensation system to cover MPs injured in the course of their duties. The bill was introduced to parliament last week, and will cover medical treatment, rehabilitation, inability to work, death and funer...

Published on Feb 15, 2016

A Senate inquiry into 'black lung' disease has been announced this week, in response to five confirmed cases in Queensland in recent months. The five miners have filed compensations claims against the owners of the mines in which the disease was contracted. A class ac...

Published on Feb 15, 2016

The World Health Organisation last year upgraded glyphosate from 'possibly' to 'probably causes cancer.'  Glyphosate is a weed killer, currently is use by many Australian councils, including in sensitive areas such as playgrounds. It was originally market...

Published on Feb 08, 2016

A signage company has been fined $250,000 for their part in the fatal wall collapse on Swanston Street, Melbourne, in 2013. Three people died in the incident. The company pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that people other than employees were not exposed to risks of their h...

Published on Feb 08, 2016

Safe Work Australia's Director of Health and Safety and Compensation Policy Julie Hill has sought to dispel the myth that workers aged over 65 have no access to workers compensation. She stated that "Medical and rehabilitation costs and lump sum payments for permanen...

Published on Feb 08, 2016

A police administrator won compensation this week over a minor workplace disagreement, and an employment lawyer has warned that this could open the way for more cases around psychological injury. The worker claimed harm relating to a flow chart presented in a meeting at the C...

Published on Feb 01, 2016

The Industrial Court of Queensland has dismissed an appeal by MAC Moranbah Village operator Civeo and found that a worker attacked in his bed can claim workers compensation. The worker sustained soft tissue injuries as a result of the 2010 attack, and sought compensation as t...

Published on Feb 01, 2016

The parliamentary inquiry into the exposure of firefighters to toxic chemical at Fiskville has heard the former officer in charge admit that a chemical spill had been "brushed under the carpet." The incident occurred  around Christmas 2001. A tractor which expo...

Published on Jan 26, 2016

Qantas is planning to spend $680,000 on workplace safety procedures. The spend was triggered by a workplace accident in which a cleaner slipped and hurt his back at Canberra Airport. He fell backwards out of a service door as he was cleaning an aircraft parked in the hanger. ...

Published on Jan 26, 2016

The new South Australian Police Minister is "prepared to reconsider" the police union's push to increase the amount of compensation available to police officers who have been injured in the line of duty. The union claims that seriously injured officers are at ri...

Published on Jan 26, 2016

The safety of staff, medics and patients in hospitals is being badly impacted by people high on the drug ice, and there have been calls to increase security as a result. At Tweed Hospital alone, there have been hundreds of assults in the past year according to the state nurse...

Published on Jan 18, 2016

89% of Australians now own a smart phone, with many workers using their device to send emails, make personal calls, send text messages and check their social media accounts. This can be a major distraction in the workplace. Some Australian businesses have made the move to ban...

Published on Jan 18, 2016

90% of all industries suffer from data breaches which result in stolen medical records according to a report from Verizon Enterprise Solutions. They found that over 392 million medical records were disclosed in 1931 data breaches across 20 years, worldwide. The breaches were ...

Published on Jan 18, 2016

A security guard at Crown Casino in Melbourne was involved in a scuffle with James Packer after he failed to recognise the owner. The guard reportedly collapsed on the way home after the event, and told News Corp that he was taken to hospital suffering from back pain and shoc...

Published on Dec 21, 2015

Safe Work Australia are seeking feedback regarding proposed changes to the health and safety requirements around inorganic lead. The chances are in response to scientific reports stating that current exposure standards are not sufficient for proecting the health of workers. T...

Published on Dec 21, 2015

The NSW Ambulance Service may be facing a class action from current and former paramedics and call centre workers. They are currently in discussions with three law firms, alleging bullying, harassment and intimidation by some in the management side of the organisation. Concer...

Published on Dec 21, 2015

WorkSafe's representative Barrister Ross Ray QC has told the Melbourne Magistrate's Court that the club's conduct was a substantial departure from its duty of care. He added that when players complained about the program, they were told to keep quiet in order to m...

Published on Dec 21, 2015

A woman who suffered from years of sexual harassment in the workplace has been awarded $1.36 million from her employer, Winslow Constructions. When she complained about her treatment to the person who she believed responsible for human resources, he invited her out for a drin...

Published on Dec 14, 2015

A report from management organisation CEB has found that engagement levels are currently as their lowest since January for Australian employess. CEB stated that, "Employees feeling the pressure to perform have become less engaged at work. With work/life balance vital for...

Published on Dec 14, 2015

Remember that health and safety obligations apply even during end of year celebrations as they are work functions. WorkCover Queensland pointed out that, “Particularly if the event is organised and paid for by the employer, the duty of care to workers remains the s...

Published on Dec 07, 2015

Compensation has been awarded to FIFO worker who was assaulted during after-hours drinks.The court found that the worker was in a remote WA "company town". The assault took place outside the 'tavern' and the worker's shoulder was injured. He applied for ...

Published on Dec 07, 2015

Summer is on the way, so employers are being urged to protect all workers from the heat. As well as people working outdoors, people working indoors or in confined spaces are also at risk from indirect heat or fatigue during heatwaves. WorkSafe Victoria recommends that workers...

Published on Nov 30, 2015

Although hotdesking is being used by many employers, it can shift attention away from ergonomic design and result in more strain injuries. Hotdesking results in employees having less focus on whether their chairs and desk are at the correct height. Profession Leon Straker, se...

Published on Nov 30, 2015

Essendon Football Club has pleaded guilty to breaches of the OH&S Act over its handling of their supplements program. In the charges brought by WorkSafe, the club was accused of failing to provide a working environment and system of work which was safe and without risks t...

Published on Nov 30, 2015

The Royal Australian College of Surgeons is seeking to change the perception that it's an "Anglo-Saxon boys club" through promoting more women and addressing bullying by surgeons in the workplace. A report earlier this year found that bullying, discrimination an...

Published on Nov 30, 2015

A worker in Queensland was seeking almost a million dollars in compensation has had the amount reduced to $191,061 after viewo surfaced of him sparring in a karate class. The worker was injured in 2012 after burning his heel and ankle in a caustic solution and reported the pa...

Published on Nov 23, 2015

The Australian Defence Force have introduced a creative arts program to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their workforce. Brigadier Wayne Goodman noted that many studies have demonstrated the relationship between the arts and enhanced health outcomes for individuals...

Published on Nov 23, 2015

The University of NSW is planning to start clinical trials within a year following a breakthrough discovery linking a lack of a particular protein to PTSD. If proven successful, it would take at least five years to become an accepted treatment. As part of the experiment, rats...

Published on Nov 23, 2015

The cost of chronic pain to the Australian economy was more than $55 billion in 2012, with back pain and osteoarthritis the most common conditions. These two condition represent more than 100 million years of productive life lost due to disability in 2010. The statistics coul...

Published on Nov 25, 2021

Stigmas around acknowledging mental health struggles can prevent some people from seeking help before they have a full blown mental illness such as major depression. One potential work-around is offering people at-risk of developing a mental illness an intervention that DOES NOT...

Published on Nov 22, 2021

In a world-first, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized a virtual reality (VR) system designed to help reduce chronic lower back pain. Drawing on cognitive behavioural strategies, the system comprises a VR headset with controller, and an attachment dubbed a &ldquo...

Published on Nov 08, 2021

High quality research published in The Lancet confirms that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on people's mental health, with significant increases in major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders seen around the world, compared to pre-pandemic levels. However, important ...

Published on Nov 04, 2021

Unexplained injuries. Personality changes. Changes in clothing and personal style, including suddenly wearing more make-up. Working late and not wanting to go home. RTW delayed for unexplained reasons, or claims decisions that seem to be made by a pushy romantic partner. All the...

Published on Oct 11, 2021

At work, PTSD (like other mental health problems) can present as memory problems, lack of concentration, fear/anxiety, poor relationships with coworkers, unreasonable reactions to situations that trigger memories of the traumatic event and absenteeism. If you observe a change in...

Published on Oct 05, 2021

Research in the US and UK shows that employees continue to struggle emotionally and psychologically throughout the pandemic and are not comfortable sharing such with employers. Meanwhile, there is a lack of mental health resources (or perception of such) across many organisation...

Published on Sep 27, 2021

We're a big fan of the work of Dr David Hanscom, who lived with chronic pain before dedicating himself to helping others recover from it to live full, rich lives. In the linked blog post, Dr Hanscom talks about the link between chronic pain and anger, and explains why some peopl...

Published on Sep 20, 2021

Most organisations these days have a CFO (that's chief financial officer): do they also need a CMO (chief medical officer) in order to ensure that issues around worker health and wellbeing are properly considered by senior management? The role involves advising "corporate leader...

Published on Sep 13, 2021

While we debate the ethics and effectiveness of compulsory vaccination, one country is showing that trust is the key to high vaccination rates. In Denmark, the government has been upfront about the potential risks of vaccines as well as the known benefits, and focused the public...

Published on Sep 06, 2021

We were intrigued by this tweet from Dr James Noake. Follow the link to see the whole thread. I use MRI in lower back pain 🤭I also get asked frequently how I manage the scan follow up consults & handle patient QsSo here is a mini-thread which gives a little comms synop...

Published on Sep 02, 2021

Researchers in the US have established that a series of questions put to accident victims in the emergency department of hospital can identify those people more likely to have PTSD three months later. The study focused on people who'd been injured in a car crash. Not all were ad...

Published on Aug 30, 2021

Keep up a routine, recommends the World Health Organisation, and strike a balance between staying informed and avoiding anxiety-inducing news-spirals that make surviving lockdown with equanimity intact even harder. For many, that will be easier said than done, but it's a good go...

Published on Aug 23, 2021

During the early months of the pandemic, there was a surge in anxiety, depression and psychological distress around the globe. However, in some very welcome good news, experts now say the long-term effects could be far less negative than we've all feared. Although it's important...

Published on Jul 30, 2021

US studies have found that conservative treatments such as referring a worker with neck pain to see a physiotherapist lessens the chance of more risky treatments such as opioid prescriptions. "Physical therapists help injured workers regain neck function by normalizing alignment...

Published on Jul 26, 2021

Courtesy of pandemic-related lockdowns around the world, there's a newly widespread interest in the ins and outs of returning to work. RTW professionals can benefit from the new injection of insights and perspectives this brings. The linked article is about creating a psychologi...

Published on Jul 26, 2021

"While their achievements and glorious exploits, chronicled in broadcasts around the world, may make it seem like Olympic athletes live charmed and angst-free lives, that’s far from the case...[But now] more athletes are reporting mental health issues such as anxiety, depr...

Published on Jul 09, 2021

Almost 45,000 Swedish workers contributed data to a new study that shows links between workplace sitting, back pain, neck pain and general health. Looking at a snapshot in time, the researchers found that sitting almost all the time at work and not taking breaks is associated wi...

Published on Jul 09, 2021

Looking at nine studies with more than 200,000 participants in total, a new review has found a connection between job strain and diabetes,  especially for women. Since diabetes increases the risk of other health problems, employers interested in improving the health of thei...

Published on Jun 23, 2021

Burnout from workplace stress is a common problem, recognised by the World Health Organisation since 2019. It's awful for workers and not great for employers either, since it can lead to mental health claims, turnover, lower productivity and a host of other ills. Canadian psycho...

Published on Jun 21, 2021

Evidence continues to accumulate that doctors who adhere to clinical guidelines for the treatment of low back pain see better outcomes - in this case, a faster return to work for patients. A large Californian study showed a 30% drop in time away from work when care complied with...

Published on Jun 14, 2021

UK-based HR researcher Steven Bevan does not hold back in this article criticising the "fruit and pilates" approach to workplace wellness. While his confrontational tone might be off-putting to some, there is sound advice for employers wanting to make genuine improvements to wor...

Published on May 31, 2021

Research from the US has shown that injured workers have higher readmission or reoperation rates for spinal fusion surgeries than those not in the workers' compensation system. Seventeen percent of workers' compensation patients had reoperation or readmission within 30 days of f...

Published on May 17, 2021

New research from Canada looking at 7,000 workers aged 35-74 found that the public health recommendation for people to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week to reduce diabetes risk should be targeted mainly at people who are sedentary at work.  Leisure-time exercise ma...

Published on May 12, 2021

Women and workers with longer term musculoskeletal disorders may benefit from graduated return to work, whilst workers with shorter term problems may actually spend more time away from work in a 12 month period when they take a gradual approach, according to new research. This w...

Published on May 10, 2021

Women clinicians are more likely to experience burnout than men, according to new research published in Jama Network Open. Clinicians in workplaces where there are lower levels of commitment, belonging, safety, teamwork, and work-life balance, are more likely to burn out than th...

Published on May 03, 2021

This thoughtful article from Canada highlights how a slow-to-shift "macho culture", seasonal and unpredictable work, an expectation of overtime and long work hours, exhausting physicality and workplace injuries/illness  can lead to chronic pain and psychological trauma amon...

Published on Mar 31, 2021

Based on systematic analysis of 8 studies with 378,729 participants in 6 countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have determined that exposure to ergonomic risk factors such as lifting, kneeling and exposure to vibration inc...

Published on Mar 31, 2021

We just don't know whether occupational noise contributes to poor heart health, according to joint research from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Some data suggests that exposure to noise at work increases the likelihood of car...

Published on Mar 31, 2021

Seeing another person fall victim to a bully at work can increase mental health problems for the observer, especially if they themselves have been a target of bullying in the past. However, observers who take action about what they see do not experience the same dip in wellbeing...

Published on Mar 01, 2021

According to US-based Scott Cherry, MD, chief medical officer of Axiom Medical, there's not contest: “For the flu there is about a $1,000 per case in lost productivity, but then you have over $10 billion in direct medical costs. That's for flu, an acute infectious disease....

Published on Mar 01, 2021

The larger the proportion of the working day spent treating Covid-19, the higher the levels of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in US physicians, a new study has shown. These results are based on anonymous online surveys conducted with more than 1700...

Published on Feb 25, 2021

Hip and knee osteoarthritis are common and disabling conditions, sometimes compensable. Evidence-based management focuses on education, exercise and weight loss, complemented by corticosteroid injections, topical or oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and other medications...

Published on Feb 18, 2021

“I cringe when I hear the industry saying, ‘well workers' comp isn't impacted by COVID, these are claims that wrap up straight away,' not giving consideration to long haulers and what we will see in the future, but also to what insurers or employers are experiencing,...

Published on Feb 05, 2021

It's fairly common to see people experiencing both a mental health problem and chronic pain. What do mental health professionals need to keep in mind if treating someone who is also taking opioids? Psychiatrist Dr Roger Chou tells the JAMA network there are five things to look o...

Published on Jan 27, 2021

You don't know what you've got until it's gone, as the old saying goes, but did any of us think commuting to work would be something we'd feel nostalgic about?? Some people working from home due to the pandemic miss that hour of reflection and transition so much that they've ini...

Published on Jan 14, 2021

Between March and May 2020, scientists at Utah University Health surveyed nearly 600 doctors, nurses, and emergency responders involved in COVID-19 care. They found that these healthcare workers were at high risk of acute traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, problematic alcoho...

Published on Jan 12, 2021

We're heading back to The Conversation with this article for the exhausted, defeated, worried, overwhelmed person we all are at times: five tips for making it through 2021 with optimism and serenity intact. Peter A. Heslin, of UNSW, suggests we get serious about our leisure time...

Published on Jan 12, 2021

In Australia, 45% of workers have felt lonely or isolated when working from home as a result of Covid-19, compared to just 24% in Japan and a whopping 75% in Turkey, according to research conducted by the World Economic Forum. Around the globe, people under age 35, business owne...

Published on Nov 24, 2020

A US study looked at the recovery outcomes of more than 1600 people hospitalised with Covid-19. Of the 195 patients who were employed before hospitalization, 117 (60%) had returned to work 60 days after discharge from hospital but 78 (40%) could not return because of ongoing hea...

Published on Nov 09, 2020

In a thoughtful opinion piece for the Journal of the American Medical Association, primary care physician Dr Paul Hayman describes how the abrupt move away from the physical examination of patients due to the pandemic has impacted his practice. He says that in the past, a thorou...

Published on Nov 02, 2020

Research amongst 6,000 Canadian healthcare workers during the height of the pandemic found that just over 40% of workers who felt that all their PPE needs were met experienced anxiety, compared to 60% of workers who said that none of their PPE needs were met. Depressive symptoms...

Published on Nov 02, 2020

We covered the new definition of pain offered by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) earlier this year. (See our article "Pain has a new meaning," for details.) Now Dr David Hanscom, a spinal surgeon who has suffered from chronic pain himself, calls on mai...

Published on Oct 05, 2020

If you're offering support to injured workers facing considerable difficulties, take note. Research into resilience in the context of the COVID pandemic has convinced Global Workplace Study researcher Marcus Buckingham that resilience is created by exposure to suffering, and the...

Published on Sep 28, 2020

Dutch parliament is currently considering a very 2020 question: do workers have the right to spare time undisturbed by work emails and other forms of "workplace telepressure"? Telepressure refers to the sense that one must respond to digital communications as soon as they are re...

Published on Sep 28, 2020

A large study of English people aged 50 and older and Chinese people aged 45 and older has found that sleep deprivation (4 or less hours a night) and excessive sleep (10 or more hours a night) are both associated with faster cognitive decline than that seen in those who get an a...

Published on Sep 14, 2020

This podcast from the Journal of the American Medical Association contains an extended interview with a young, athletic doctor who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-March. He describes his symptoms, including intense body aches, high fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath a...

Published on Sep 11, 2020

As short-term working from home stop-gaps become long-term (and in some cases, permanent) arrangements, this helpful article on home ergonomics has advice about choosing the best location for the home-workstation (preview: the kitchen table is usually a bad idea), making the mos...

Published on Aug 24, 2020

A new study has found that Kundalini yoga indeed improves symptoms for people with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), but it's not as effective as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Yoga can help calm anxiety, but for most patients CBT should remain the first-line treatment. ...

Published on Aug 12, 2020

Around two months after discharge from hospital, 143 Italian COVID-19 survivors who had repeatedly been given a clean bill of health had their long-term recovery assessed by researchers. None of the patients had fever or any signs or symptoms of acute illness, but only 18 (12.6%...

Published on Jul 31, 2020

New York University's School of Global Public Health is embarking on a series of studies to evaluate the risks and impact of COVID-19 on transit workers, who have soldiered on through the pandemic to ensure that that doctors, nurses and other essential workers can get to work. I...

Published on Jul 31, 2020

Healthcare and social services will likely see the majority of COVID-related workers' compensation claims, but other service industries, as well as agrictulture, food manufacture (hello, abbatoirs!) and the public service may also be hit harder than average. That's assuming Aust...

Published on Jul 23, 2020

According to Daniel LeGoff: "The emerging data on the longer-term effects of COVID-19 on survivors is that some will have a long road ahead of them. The rehabilitation process...will involve numerous hurdles, including deconditioning, resulting in a need to strengthen skeletal a...

Published on Jul 14, 2020

Spine surgery is sometimes necessary, but it doesn't always achieve its aims (especially reducing pain) and it brings considerable risks, including long-term opioid use. To wit: US research has recently found that spine surgery patients have the highest opioid prescription rate ...

Published on Jul 14, 2020

A comparison of more than 5,000 US physicians with 5,000 members of the general working public found that physicians are more resilient than the average, and that this resilience protects against burnout. However, "burnout rates were substantial even among the most resilient phy...

Published on Jul 14, 2020

Here's the takeaway from an excellent article by Carol T Kulik and Ruchi Sinha on The Conversation: "Working from home is not always better or worse for an employee’s health than traditional office arrangements. It will be most beneficial when employees make wise decisions...

Published on Jun 16, 2020

A great piece from Andrea Buhl at Workers Comp Blogwire to help you strategise for RTW in a workplace still facing COVID-restrictions or related downsizing. Topics include the hunt for modified duties, addressing fear and anxiety, and enhanced screening. You may need to enter yo...

Published on Jun 01, 2020

...and not just because it's more fun! A systematic review and meta-analysis of nearly twenty studies looking at the impact of yoga on mental disorders found that yoga reduces depression more than treatment as usual, no treatment and attention control (i.e. yoga-like meditation ...

Published on May 26, 2020

More evidence that swearing is good for you (and forgivable in workers with painful injuries), as researchers confirm that the four-letter classics increase pain tolerance while made-up swear words (in this case "fouch" and "twizpipe") do not. A warning, don't follow the link if...

Published on May 04, 2020

Are you concerned about mitigating the potential for psychological-ill health for workers during the COVID-19 epidemic? Researchers at the London School of Economics and Political Science prescribe predictability, controllability, and threat reduction - with a generous side serv...

Published on Mar 27, 2020

 Reviews evaluate the effects of interventions on the following topics: Staying active Optimising the work environment Prevention of eye problems due to computer use and Actions for pain of the lower back, neck, shoulders, arms ...

Published on Mar 27, 2020

Many experts believe that independent medical examinations (IMEs) conducted in person are better than those conducted online, but according to one US judge, in the era of COVID-19, “The real issue is not what is absolutely best, but what is going to be sufficient". (You'll...

Published on Mar 24, 2020

Self-care is the key to thriving during crisis lock-down, according to expert advice fresh out of the UK.  ...

Published on Mar 24, 2020

Missing out on office cooler chat is an obvious consequence of remote work, but the lack of demarcation between working life and home life can also lead to burnout, Forbes warns. ...

Published on Mar 24, 2020

"Take it from someone who couldn't: go outside," begins this piece from International Space Station veteran, Scott Kelly. His tips for surviving isolation with your mental and physical health intact include setting a routine, keeping a journal and connecting with others as best ...

Published on Mar 17, 2020

Using the power of the workplace collective and presenting clear and practical strategies for how it's all going to work can help persuade senior management to embrace the pandemic-curtailing benefits of remote work.  ...

Published on Feb 24, 2020

A thousand US workers recently told researchers that teamwork hurts - and that there's no meaningful way to contribute in groups of six or more. Half of those surveyed said the biggest problem was different working styles. Women in particular tend to feel anxious when they hear ...

Published on Feb 24, 2020

Canadian journalist Jessica Peters has been unlucky enough to be involved in two traumatic accidents, entitling her to compensation under two different systems of insurance. One was adversarial, eventually resulting in a lump-sum payment; the other provided "immediate care and a...

Published on Feb 17, 2020

The number of notes issued by doctors saying someone is not fit to work due to stress-related disorders increased by 8% last year, according to research from UK law firm GQ Littler. Overall, certificates were up 4% from the previous year, but there was also an increase in d...

Published on Feb 11, 2020

Two thirds of obstetricians and gynaecologists surveyed in Britain recently reported exposure to traumatic work-related events; 18% had clinically significant PTSD symptoms.  Professor Pauline Slade said, “Exposure to trauma in obstetrics and gynaecology is a work ...

Published on Feb 11, 2020

Conflict at work is common, and negatively impacts a whole host of outcomes to do with wellness and performance. It can also derial RTW. According to Cecelia Amador at AllWork, good conflict management strategies include: Preventing problems by building an inclusive cul...

Published on Jan 28, 2020

For workers with knee osteoarthritis, timing matters. Rushing total knee replacement surgery brings risks but no benefits, whilst delaying too long increases the risk of chronic disability. After following nearly three and a half thousand US participants for 8 years, the Journal...

Published on Jan 28, 2020

We missed this Amazon expose when it published two months ago, but it is worth catching up on. The Atlantic investigates the e-commerce giant with the notoriously busy warehouses, in an expose that has it all: robots, rigid productivity quotas, debates about LTIs, failed RTW and...

Published on Jan 13, 2020

Strong connections between doctors and patients are good for recovery. In this podcast from the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers discuss the latest research on "presence" - doctors who convey the impression that they're paying careful attention to their p...

Published on Dec 17, 2019

Two breaks a day for sweet treats, coffee and conversation with colleagues sounds eminently sensible to us. Apparently, the Swedes swear by it, in the form of the Fika tradition.  Erik Fjellborg runs workforce management company Quinyx. He claims that while Fika is good ...

Published on Dec 03, 2019

Exercise more, we hear. It'll be good for your heart! But it may not be as simple as that, as new, very complex research makes clear(ish). Challenging, repetitive physical activity performed at work may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, medical researchers ha...

Published on Nov 19, 2019

You might expect to see first responders on the list of jobs with high rates of suicide amongst workers, but would you expect to see vets? Researchers in the US also identified construction workers, childcare workers, doctors (especially female doctors), nurses, restaurant worke...

Published on Nov 19, 2019

Not sure whether workplace initiatives around mental health are worth the investment? Monica Bertilsson, Ph.D., a senior lecturer in Public Health Science at the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy, surveyed 4,737 mangers in Sweden to find out how their management ...

Published on Oct 22, 2019

When your raison d'etre (and bacon home-bringer) is making sports shoes, then it should come as no surprise that you're a fan of sport everywhere and anywhere. But we think Adidas might be onto something when it champions workplace sport as a way to relieve stress, reduce depres...

Published on Oct 08, 2019

Psychological flexibility is the key to thriving with chronic illness, according to Joseph Trunzo, clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at Bryant University. In a long, rich and empathetic article for Aeon Magazine, he lays out strategies for living well despite the...

Published on Oct 08, 2019

Recovery from stroke is challenging and unpredictable, making it hard to build confidence and plan for RTW. Now researchers have developed a new prognostic tool, helping stroke survivors assess whether they're ready to get back on the job. There's no equipment needed, apart from...

Published on Oct 08, 2019

Workers' compensation networks are a type of managed care plan. Employers who choose to use a workers’ compensation network buy coverage from an insurance company that either contracts directly with doctors and hospitals, or contracts with a certified network, for a panel ...

Published on Oct 04, 2019

Mental toughness is the capacity to keep performing despite challenges both ordinary and extraordinary. High-performing athletes tend to have it in spades, and it helps them bounce back after injury. So what can such athletes teach us about RTW? According to sports psychologi...

Published on Sep 24, 2019

People take time off work for many reasons: injury, chronic illness, long-service leave, pregnancy and child-rearing, existential crises... If you're supporting a worker who's struggling with the transition back to work, sharing this article might help them think more creatively...

Published on Sep 10, 2019

If you thought your job was isolating, spare a thought for the Minister for Loneliness in the UK. But in all seriousness, workplace loneliness is a serious and growing problem. Workers who are different from their colleagues (older, for example, or the only woman in a predominan...

Published on Aug 27, 2019

All employers have to strike a balance between productivity and concern for worker wellbeing. In New Zealand, researchers at Massey University have come up with a way to measure that balance, enabling benchmarking and comparison with other organisations. They call it the New Zea...

Published on Aug 12, 2019

An Institute for Work and Health study has added to an increasing body of evidence identifying work conditions linked with lower risks of mental illnesses amongst workers. Job control, job security and support at work are all factors that help to reduce the risks of anxiety...

Published on Jul 29, 2019

Research into European workplaces has shown that many managers are confused when it comes to managing an employee's return to work after cancer treatment. The research, published in the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation and led by Dr Kirsten Petersen highlighted the need...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

Workers who say that their workplace lacks trust are more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. high cholesterol, high blood pressure) than workers who reporting a trusting environment, according to a study of more than 400,000 Americans. Reported in the Internat...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

Most of us have given and received presents that just aren't the right fit. Employers sometimes do this too, when it comes to workplace wellbeing programs. "Research shows that forging partnerships across sectors increases the likelihood that health-related programs and proje...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

Opioid dependency and overuse are dangerous side-effects of some workplace injuries, but cutting back on opioids is no picnic either. On top of the physical symptoms of withdrawal, many injured workers will experience psychological difficulties too. The reason? Opioids flood the...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

With an Indiegogo campaign that exceeded its original target and a filmmaker sharing his own - and other's - stories of recovery from chronic pain, new documentary This Might Hurt has a grassroots, genuine and relatable feel. The film follows Dr. Howard Schubiner’s work...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

Believe it or not, it's not all mad or bad news out of the ol' US of A. In fact, we're pleased to report that there are 44 state-based scholarship organisations in America that raise and disburse tuition aid to the family members of injured workers, enabling more than 650 kids t...

Published on Jul 24, 2019

Researchers in the US have called for an increased focus on preventing workplace injury and improving health care for injured workers, after a new study links suicides and overdose deaths to workplace injury.  The study, led by Boston University academics,  looked at d...

Published on Jun 18, 2019

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has stressed the work-relatedness of burnout, insisting that it's not a disease but an occupational phenomenon / syndrome. According to WHO, burnout has three key characteristics: Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, Increas...

Published on Jun 18, 2019

Some ingredients in cleaning products put workers at risk of developing work-related asthma (WRA). At the Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease in Toronto, Canada, researchers delved into a clinical database of 208 workers with WRA. They found that a variety of c...

Published on Jun 18, 2019

Our friends in Canada at the Institute for Work and Health (IWH) have compiled a list of five things they think you need to know about RTW... RTW programs should tick at least three boxes, offering injured workers support in the form of health services, case coordination a...

Published on Jun 04, 2019

When an injured worker is also grappling with another injury or health condition, costs go up and work absence and disability are prolonged. According to 2016 research from the US, claims with comorbidities had "a 76% increase in claim duration, a 341% increase in incurred costs...

Published on May 27, 2019

Singing in a choir provides a sense of interconnectedness, leading to relaxation and euphoria according to research from the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Science in northern Germany. So perhaps it's not surprising that some employers are encouraging the formation of work cho...

Published on May 24, 2019

The "always on" digital work and entertainment culture is often blamed for our collective sleep problem, but new research from America demonstrates that digital treatment can actually reduce insomnia and improve quality of life. A rigorous study published in highly reputable jou...

Published on May 20, 2019

Flex-time and tele-work  benefit older workers with chronic disease and those without, according to research published by the Institute of Work and Health (IWH) in Canada. According to IWH Senior Scientist Dr. Monique Gignac, "This study reminds us to stop focusing exclu...

Published on May 20, 2019

While many of us look back on our younger selves with some degree of envy - that waistline! those smooth and rosy cheeks! - who amongst us really wants to be young again? The drama, the uncertainty, the angst: ugh, no thanks. Researchers who surveyed 10,000 workers in 131 cou...

Published on Apr 05, 2019

Most mental health professionals aren't experts on pain but psychiatric researchers Sara Edmond, Alicia Heapy and Robert Kearns believe they should all be worded-up enough to incorporate the following pain management techniques into treatment, as appropriate: "assessing pain, in...

Published on Mar 29, 2019

Opioids are commonly prescribed to injured workers and although they can help with pain management they also come with a host of risks and side-effects, including addiction and misuse. Follow the link to access the summary of a recent webinar hosted by  Dr Teresa Bartlett f...

Published on Mar 22, 2019

An Irish organisation, the Marie Keating Foundation, has put together an excellent series of tips for people returning to work after recovering from cancer. Here's an example: "After a lengthy leave of absence from the workplace, you will no doubt be questioned about you...

Published on Mar 19, 2019

Deciding what role - if any - workplace factors play in the development of osteoarthritis (OA) has traditionally been a tough call. Canada to the rescue! Our post-colonial buddies are shortly to publish a review of the evidence conducted by the Institute of Work and Health (IWH)...

Published on Mar 10, 2019

One of the challenges of contentious workers' compensation claims is that the worker will likely end up with multiple diagnoses from various health practitioners - second and third opinions, as well as Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs). This can be stressful for the worker...

Published on Feb 26, 2019

This is a new one for us - the idea that workers face a kind of "aftershock" when attempting to return after a long absence. Changes in the workplace, as well as changes in their own capacities, can be difficult, physically and emotionally. Managers can help by providing feedbac...

Published on Feb 26, 2019

Researchers in England and Sweden have done us all a solid, summarising the results of nearly 80 studies that examine factors affecting sustainable return to work after common mental health conditions.  They found that workers were best placed for a sustainable return to...

Published on Feb 26, 2019

The Harvard Business Review has five tips for reducing mental health stigma at work... Pay attention to language - if you throw around phrases like “Mr. OCD is at it again — organizing everything” you're actually contributing to stigma, and reducing ...

Published on Feb 11, 2019

From an interview with UC Berkeley and UCSF professor, and internationally recognized psychologist, Stephen Hinshaw: “If we are in the default position where it’s too shameful to talk about, we’re lost. We have to get away from the noxious default that you can ...

Published on Feb 11, 2019

In this report from Minneapolis, work injury kicks off a bad-to-worse sequence, in which a meat cutter with a bad back moves from painkiller misuse to a heroin addiction. But work is also playing a role in re-establishing sobriety, with Johnny Petty describing the sense of pride...

Published on Feb 01, 2019

We've long been aware that people who exercise more tend to be less depressed. But does this mean that exercise prevents depression, or that depression prevents exercise? Drawing on genetic and other data from 611 ,583 adult participants in the UK Biobank Study, ingenious r...

Published on Jan 29, 2019

The WHO does. (Sorry.) The World Health Organisation invites you to subscribe to their newsletter so that you can stay up to date with a new initiative: the development of guidelines addressing mental health at work. According to Dr Devora Kestle, Director of Mental Health ...

Published on Jan 24, 2019

Follow the link for an enlightening interview with Professor Rebecca Thurston, head of the Women’s Biobehavioral Health Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. Based on recent research, she says that non-smoking women with a history of workplace sexual harassment are t...

Published on Jan 22, 2019

A huge Danish study that followed 5,940,778 individuals over 15 years found that co-morbid mental disorders were pervasive. In other words, after an individual receives a diagnosis of a specific mental disorder, they have a significantly higher risk of developing other mental di...

Published on Dec 06, 2018

The Guardian has published the diary of an anonymous Amazon warehouse worker, who describes being "gaslit" by the online shopping giant. According to the diary, Amazon tells new workers that safety is the number one priority in the businesses, but also makes unreasonable product...

Published on Dec 06, 2018

Bear with us as we channel a banjo-plucking frog: It's not easy, feeling pain.  Kevin F. Boehnke, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, shares his personal experience of coming to terms with ongoing physical pain. Boehnke de...

Published on Nov 19, 2018

In the New Yorker, surgeon and public health researcher  Atul Gawande takes a deep dive into the ongoing digitisation of healthcare, concluding that: "We ultimately need systems that make the right care simpler for both patients and professionals, not more complicat...

Published on Nov 15, 2018

Like a rock rolling down a hill, once a person starts taking a prescription medication it can be hard to halt their progress - even if that medication is harmful or unhelpful. Medical researchers Michael A. Steinman, MD and C. Seth Landefield MD describe it is a form of med...

Published on Nov 06, 2018

American workers who don't have access to paid sick leave "are more likely to worry about paying their monthly bills, achieving their long-term retirement goals or being prepared for an illness or accident," according to a new study from researchers at...

Published on Oct 30, 2018

The Wall Street Journal recently published a (subscriber-only) article about Netflix, which is famous for it's keeper test. The test mandates that the company "keep only our highly effective people". A few years ago, Patty McCord, Netflix's original HR chief...

Published on Oct 04, 2018

Those of you looking for solutions after our coverage of the ill-effects of poor sleep on work and RTW, take hope. Digital treatment of insomnia is cost-effective, flexible, scalable and - best of all - effective, according to a new study with 1711 participants. The researche...

Published on Sep 17, 2018

US insurance broker Lockton Companies has released a report showing that "67 percent of denied claims convert to paid claims within a year" and that denying "then approving claims increases costs 55 percent over claims paid without first getting denied". T...

Published on Sep 10, 2018

UK researchers tracked 12 nurses over two 12-hour shifts, and found that there was no correlation between physical activity and feelings of fatigue. Nor was there a correlation between job demands and fatigue. Instead, nurses who were least likely to feel fatigued from t...

Published on Sep 10, 2018

According to Ron Goldstein in Forbes magazine, fitness trackers in the workplace provide numerous benefits including: a culture focused on health and wellbeing, enhanced chronic disease management and allowing employers to incentivise healthy habits. If workers actually becom...

Published on Aug 28, 2018

Regardless of where you work, there's food for thought in the health and wellbeing approach advocated by Brad White and Matthew Winslade in this article on The Conversation, which describes new approaches to better living and working on campus. ...

Published on Aug 17, 2018

Workers and family members experience more anxiety and negative feelings when employers expect emails to be monitored during non-work hours, according to a new study from Virginia Tech.  “Unlike work-related demands that deplete employee resources, physical a...

Published on Aug 14, 2018

The emotional pain of living with a chronic health condition can seriously impact quality of life, even if the health condition is a physical one.  Some people find that they develop another chronic condition - depression - in the wake of the first. Bustle has colle...

Published on Aug 09, 2018

A Scottish branch of the Uk's National Health Service (NHS) employing 24,000 people saw a drop in the frequency and duration of sickness absence after establishing an in-house mediation service. Sixty-five managers, selected via a rigorous recruitment program, were traine...

Published on Jul 31, 2018

Workers who feel free to communicate up the management chain about their depression take less time off and are more productive when they're at work, according to research from the London School Of Economics. The researchers talked to 1000 researchers from 15 different cou...

Published on Jul 27, 2018

The Japanese have a name for the phenomena for unhealthy workaholism: karoshi, which means death from overwork. Working long hours has been linked to stroke, heart disease, mental health problems, diabetes, and abnormal heart rhythms. But new research suggests that long ...

Published on Jun 29, 2018

Forbes has published a fantastic set of tips for employers in the finance industry, aiming to help them help finance workers achieve a good balance between work life and home life. With a little tweaking, we reckon the tips are applicable for other professionals in a client-f...

Published on Jun 19, 2018

A 14-year study reported in The Guardian has found that "...men with diabetes, heart disease, or who had previously suffered a stroke, were 68% more likely to die over the course of the study if they had demanding jobs with little control over their workload." ...

Published on Jun 05, 2018

Curiosity piqued by the paucity of post-conference food choices available on his work-related travels (typical dinner options: pizza or fast food!), Andrew Rundle (Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Mailman School of Public Health) wanted to know whether people who ar...

Published on Jun 05, 2018

No, say Gary Cooper and Ivan Robertson, who are both Professors of Organisational Psychology at the University of Manchester, and directors of workplace wellbeing provider Robertson Cooper Ltd. Rather: "There is a real difference between happiness gimmicks and working in...

Published on May 08, 2018

The path for trainee surgeons is a difficult one: learning on the job is more stressful in this role than most (the stakes are so high!), shift work predominates and the hours can be extremely long. So it comes as a surprise that both surgeons and surgical trainees under...

Published on May 08, 2018

We all have our pet peeves, but according to US workplace culture and compensation data-crunchers Comparably, many of us haaaaaaate micromanaging bosses. In an online survey of 2,248 anonymous workers, 39% said being a micromanager was the worse trait a boss could have. Other...

Published on Apr 10, 2018

Barbara Ricci was once the managing director of UBS and Deutsche Bank, and she's now senior advisor in behavioral health at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy in the School of Social Policy & Practice and a board member at the N...

Published on Mar 23, 2018

Australian researchers are part of the team behind an international "fact check" on the ins and outs of back pain thanks to new research published in Lancet. Monash University researcher, Professor Rachelle Buchbinder, says a radical shift in thinking is requi...

Published on Mar 23, 2018

Thanks to shift work, a lack of breaks and poor access to healthy food during working hours, care workers can struggle to live a healthy life. To fight the unhealthy trend, care workers in the UK are getting creative: crashing yoga classes, seated workouts and games of "...

Published on Mar 09, 2018

The young royals of the UK have announced a new mental health initiative: a website and online training tools to support wellbeing in the workplace. According to the Huffington Post UK, the website will host an "employer gateway and online training to equ...

Published on Mar 07, 2018

The oracle of the Cochrane Systematic Review has spoken: the research on lighting and wellbeing and performance at work is still in the dark ages. Despite describing the available research as of low to very low quality, the authors of the review found some evidence that: ...

Published on Feb 12, 2018

Health and happiness at work depends on good communication, according to CEO insights in the linked article from Raconteur.net. For example: "Lawrence Jones, chief executive of Manchester-based cloud computing and hosting company UKFast, has put employee wellbeing ...

Published on Feb 12, 2018

A mathematical model of all human muscles and bones may soon be available to help physical therapists and clinicians predict compensable injuries and help patients avoid them. According to the researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Haverford College who are develop...

Published on Feb 12, 2018

The American Medical Association is urging doctors to ask their patients, "What matters to you?" instead of focusing on "What's the matter?". The tactic is particularly effective for patients with chronic conditions. According to the AMA Wire, doc...

Published on Jan 29, 2018

Job satisfaction, productivity and wellbeing all "shatter" when a worker finds out that someone performing a similar role is being paid more: and the impact is the worst for people high up in the organisational chain. “When you realise a colleague is high...

Published on Jan 29, 2018

Having a best friend in the office makes work more enjoyable, productive, according to a survey of 120 UK companies, conducted by employee engagement provider Wildgoose. The research showed that cameraderie was valued more highly by women than men: 61% of workers would choose...

Published on Jan 16, 2018

A study published in the Journal of Community Health, looks at the results of a national survey on the influence of sexual harassment on the victim’s mental and physical health. Findings indicate how stress can lead to unhealthy behaviours and can lead to “chronic...

Published on Jan 16, 2018

One year after the French Government implemented a law requiring companies with 50 or more employees to ‘reduce the intrusion of work into private lives’, this article explores the lessons that can be drawn from the intervention to reduce the impact of stress and ...

Published on Jan 16, 2018

Another example of how the stress of long hours in “cramped, awkward positions” can increase the risk of temporary and sometimes permanent work disability. Ergonomists cited in the review compare a surgeon’s work environment and risk levels for work-related ...

Published on Dec 18, 2017

Did you know that there are now more than 10,000 self-help apps for anxiety and depression? Or that many of these apps go unregulated by any medical body? The American Psychiatric Association sees a lot of potential benefit in the realm of digital mental health, but also pote...

Published on Dec 18, 2017

"Women can come to dread work," Los Angeles psychologist, Debra Borys, told WebMD. "It affects their concentration. They can become depressed and feel helpless." Physical problems can include headaches and stomach aches. Ann McFadyen, associate professor o...

Published on Dec 15, 2017

“Spending two weeks in bed is the equivalent of aging ten years as far as your muscles and metabolism,” Jeffrey Saffle told the audience at Surviving the Un-survivable: Optimal Clinical and Claims Outcomes in Severe Burn Cases, in Las Vegas. During the presentatio...

Published on Dec 04, 2017

Ever heard of the curb cut effect? It's when "designs intended to benefit people with disabilities often end up benefiting everyone. The curb cut (i.e. a wedge cut into an elevated curb), was originally designed to make sidewalks accessible to wheelchair users. Howev...

Published on Nov 20, 2017

The President of the American Psychological Association says that "Sexual harassment in the workplace is a significant occupational health psychology problem." He also says that if we want to eradicate the problem, we need to get better at identifying those lik...

Published on Oct 23, 2017

Across the European Union, Romanian workplaces have the highest scores for mental vitality, motivation, staff retention and productivity as measured by the Global Employee Engagement Index. What sets Romania apart? According to Stella Photi of Wellbeing Escapes, Romanian busi...

Published on Oct 09, 2017

World Mental Day happens annually on October 10. This year, the World Health Organisation wants us all to focus on mental health at work. The legal experts at Lexology say that employers often take a "bury the head in the sand" approach with struggling employees bec...

Published on Sep 29, 2017

Sustained workplace noise increases stress, decreases productivity and can compromise safety - so WorkSafe NZ is drawing attention to companies that are proactive about reducing it. Metco Engineering has managed to reduce noise on the manufacturing floor by 30%, using vibrati...

Published on Sep 18, 2017

We all know that sedentary work is associated with negative health outcomes; new Canadian research suggests that standing all day at work is bad for us too.  The research, which looked at workers over a 12-year period, found that people who primarily stand on the j...

Published on Sep 11, 2017

According to HRSoftware, corporate wellness is just eight steps away: Customise Use data to identify what needs to be done Use data to track progress Foster an active culture Match communication channels to employee communication hab...

Published on Sep 11, 2017

Bums on seats does not necessarily lead to productive working days for all. Presenteeism is one of the scourges of mental ill health.  New research suggests that bringing some positivity into the office could be the answer. According to The Conversation UK: ...

Published on Sep 11, 2017

Little pills can cause big problems. According to Goldman Sachs courtesy of the New Yorker, in the US "fewer prime working-age men are participating in the labor force than in the past, and ...many of these men have been found to be taking prescription pain medicat...

Published on Aug 14, 2017

Men are more likely to blame work for mental health problems than women, but less likely to speak up and ask for help, according to research from UK foundation MIND. Emma Mamo, head of workplace wellbeing at Mind, said, "Many men work in industries where a macho cu...

Published on Jul 31, 2017

Hello, clickbait! But it's true: according to research from Born This Way, a research foundation established by Lady Gaga, mental wellness is majorly impacted by a person’s proximity to kindness and people who behave kindly including at work. As reported ...

Published on Jul 31, 2017

Experts in Canada are calling on the construction industry to come to grips with psychological injuries, pointing to a link between psychological safety and physical safety. According to health and safety consultant Jeff Lyth, swearing, bullying and harrassment are not ...

Published on Jul 18, 2017

Lately we've come across several articles praising the concept of a "mental health day". Here's an Australian example. The link in the heading represents a contrasting point of view, from a Canadian magazine that argues that the explanation "I don't...

Published on Jul 07, 2017

Pain is more unbearable when people are experiencing stress and this can be enough to persuade people to have unecessary spine operations, according to US surgeon David Hanscom. He shares a "road to Damascus" moment, describing how he revolutionised his own practice...

Published on Jun 16, 2017

Recently the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety closed. We've brought you a lot of information from this fantastic resource, especially its Centre for Disability Research, and we'll continue to search the back catalogue for relevant RTW gems. In the meantime...

Published on May 05, 2017

In 2015, 33,091 Americans died by overdosing on opioids, the most fatalities from all categories of drugs. Although many of these deaths were heroin-related, experts estimate that 80% of heroin users start their habit with prescription opioids - and "improbable beli...

Published on Apr 10, 2017

Online training packs more wellbeing punch when it is combined with interactive elements, according to research recently released by a UK team based at the Universities of East Anglia, Sheffield, Reading and Essex. The researchers will now examine the cost-effectiveness ...

Published on Mar 27, 2017

A systematic review of research from the UK, Germany, Australia and the United States shows that the ill-effects of unemployment can be counteracted by work - but that work has to be good. According to Professor Sara Connolly, one of the study authors: “Unemployment is ...

Published on Mar 27, 2017

US employers believe that workplace wellness programs improve employee health, performance and productivity. But according to Ron Z. Goetzel, director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health an...

Published on Mar 22, 2017

The American Psychological Association has named Prudential Financial as the recipient of its Organizational Excellence Award, designed to recognize organisations for their efforts to foster employee well-being while enhancing organisational performance. According to PR ...

Published on Mar 22, 2017

Earlier this month, the Washington Post gained access to a sealed court filing of a class action lawsuit representing 1800 ex-players in America's National Football League. According to Louisa Thomas in the New Yorker, the action alleges that "teams violated sta...

Published on Mar 13, 2017

You could argue that it's a recipe for stress and ill-health. "In communications and public relations there’s no longer a clear distinction between work and play, day and night, " writes academic and PR professional, Stephen Waddington. "M...

Published on Feb 22, 2017

We loved the insights in this article, which challenges the contemporary fashion for carefully top-down designed office spaces, asking "What if the ideal office isn’t the coolest or the most aesthetically visionary? What if the ideal office is the one, dog pictures...

Published on Feb 08, 2017

Jennifer Newman, a Canadian workplace psychologist, believes that organisations fail to protect workers from mental health problems because bosses tend to see mental illnesses like depression and anxiety as purely personal problems. "If we focus mainly on anxiety a...

Published on Feb 08, 2017

Some UK SMEs have a creative take on workplace wellness, according to this piece from the Guardian: a meeting room that doubles as a skate ramp, a "calming" office dog, a communal worm farm and more.  ...

Published on Jan 30, 2017

According to a recent presentation by Dr. Christopher McLeod at the Institute for Work and Health, RTW is not a one-off event but rather a trajectory that may be short or long, simple or complex.  He presents key demographic, clinical and work characteristics that ...

Published on Jan 30, 2017

Two thirds of Canadian workers have experienced organisational change at their current workplace and 40% say that it had a negative impact on their health and wellbeing, according to new research from HR consultancy Morneau Shepell. "We have found that among the ty...

Published on Jan 30, 2017

Winter seems far, far away at the moment but, as loyal Game of Thrones fans know, it is definitely coming. When it arrives, workers who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or even just the garden-variety afternoon slump could benefit from light therapy. Accord...

Published on Jan 16, 2017

The Age reports on new research that shows that "standing up and walking around for five minutes every hour during the workday could lift your mood, combat lethargy without reducing focus and attention, and even dull hunger pangs". The research measured perfor...

Published on Jan 16, 2017

Canadian province Saskatchewan has removed the need for workers with psychological injuries to prove that their injury is work-related, going a step further than other Canadian provinces which assume work-relatedness only for PTSD. “We know the stigma attached to ...

Published on Jan 16, 2017

Yoga practice amongst US workers almost doubled between 2002 and 2012, with 11% now saying to "Namaste" according to a new study reported by Time Magazine, and initially published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease. Meditation rates also increased, from ...

Published on Jan 16, 2017

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has announced a new partnership between government and employers to improve mental health support in the workplace. Lord Dennis Stevenson and Paul Farmer, who is Chief Executive of mental health charity, Mind, will collaborate with the private an...

Published on Jan 16, 2017

French organisations employing more than 50 workers are now required to negotiate with employees regarding their rights to "switch off" from work. According to the Guardian newspaper, the "right to disconnect " law came about because of a government-c...

Published on Dec 19, 2016

The gender pay gap may contribute to problems with physical and mental health according to studies from Australia and the US. As reported on The Conversation, a "recent United States study investigated the role of the gender pay gap on depression and anxiety, match...

Published on Dec 12, 2016

Prince William has urged employers to create an environment in which talking about "feeling a bit 'down'" is no harder than admitting to having a cold, during an address to business leaders on behalf of the charity Heads Together.  "Work, as ...

Published on Dec 05, 2016

The Mental Health Commission of Canada wants employers to make the most of their investment in workplace mental health by avoiding common mistakes including: failing to offer ongoing and integrated initiatives; introducing initiatives without basing th...

Published on Oct 17, 2016

Ten years ago, Kitchener Wilmot Hydro, a utility company in Canada that now employs about 180 people and serves 91,000 homes and businesses, took part in a research project targeting musculoskeletal injuries. The project focused on participatory ergonomics, a method for preve...

Published on Oct 03, 2016

Retail workers with more stable working schedules and longer lead-times before shifts have better physical and psychological health, a US study has found. Associate Professor Kristen Harknett used Facebook to recruit nearly 6,000 retail workers aged 18 to 50. After contr...

Published on Oct 03, 2016

"From apps to employee assistance programmes, forward-thinking employers are using a range of ways to support the wellbeing of their international assignees, expatriates and business travellers," writes Relocate Magazine. Helping globally mobile workers acclimatise ...

Published on Sep 18, 2016

Each year VitalityHealth, the University of Cambridge, RAND Europe and Mercer survey UK employers and employees to determine Britain's Healthiest Workplaces. In 2016, the awards have recognised Nomura International Plc as the healthiest large workplace, adidas U...

Published on Sep 18, 2016

Pizza Hut will offer staff training tackling stigma in the workplace, after teaming up with Mental Health UK to survey hospitality industry workers about mental health. The survey revealed that 93% of employees in the sector felt uncomfortable talking to their boss about...

Published on Sep 04, 2016

According to the Canadian Alliance for Sustainable Healthcare, unmet mental healthcare needs cost the Canadian economy billions of dollars in lost productivity - and employers have an important role to play in fixing the problem. “A large proportion of working Cana...

Published on Aug 28, 2016

A new study finds that listening to music in the workplace can promote co-worker cooperation and support - but not any song will do. The hard rockers amongst us may be disappointed to learn that, when it comes to team-work inducing tunes, heavy metal loses out to positive, up...

Published on Aug 21, 2016

The Office Olympics were held in Canada last week, with employees at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans competing in events including chair rowing, cardboard 'boxing' and 'wasketball'. “In order for team morale to be high and to have ...

Published on Jun 29, 2015

A researcher at the University of Sydney has found that between 1940 and 2014, the lifespans for musicians were up to 25 years shorter than the comparable US population. They were also found to be at greater risk of suicide, homicide and accidents. She questioned which other ...

Published on Jun 28, 2015

A New Zealand college has been ordered to pay $40,000 to a tutor after an incident occurred on his first day at work. He was teaching chainsaw operations as part of a forest operations course. Tree felling was not a part of the course. The tutor was severely injured when crus...

Published on May 24, 2015

In the US, bites and other injuries caused by dogs account for more than one third of all home insurance claims according to a report from the Insurance Information Institute. Although claims numbers are falling, the cost of claims continues to increase. California appears to...

Published on Mar 16, 2015

In a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, researchers from the RAND Corporation report that for people receiving food assistance there are significant links between depression, poor dietary quality, and high body mass index (BMI). Depressi...

Published on Mar 16, 2015

The combination of stress and heavy depression can significantly increase heart patient’s risk of death or heart attack, according to new research. The study examined the effect of high stress levels and high depressive symptoms among nearly 5,000 heart patients. Resear...

Published on Mar 16, 2015

Many of us are walking around all the time in a fog caused by "social jetlag." That's what happens when we lose sleep because our daily schedules don't match our bodies' natural rhythms. The condition can be a particular problem for shift workers, who wo...

Published on Mar 09, 2015

 Patients with severe mitral regurgitation (MR) often suffer from psycho-emotional symptoms, such as depression and anxiety, but after undergoing mitral valve repair surgery patients experience a marked improvement in emotional and physical wellbeing, according to an art...

Published on Mar 09, 2015

A treatment known as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may decrease fasting glucose and improve quality of life in overweight and obese women, new research suggests. MBSR is a secular mindfulness meditation program that was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD at the...

Published on Mar 09, 2015

Two in five (40%) UK employers have seen sickness absence rates improve over the past 12 months, according to research. Just under two-thirds (62%) of respondents said that the reduction in absence rates was down to good morale in the workplace. The research found that return...

Published on Mar 09, 2015

A new poll by the National Sleep Foundation finds that pain is a key factor in the gap between the amount of sleep Americans say they need and the amount they’re getting – an average 42 minute sleep debt for those with chronic pain and 14 minutes for those who&rsq...

Published on Mar 09, 2015

 A healthy lifestyle intervention program administered at the workplace and developed by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health significantly reduces risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, according to a study reported in the March issue of t...

Published on Mar 02, 2015

Genetic factors help to explain the commonly found association between low back pain and depression, suggests a large study of twins in the March issue of PAIN. Questionnaire responses from over 2,100 twins were analysed to determine whether participants with symptoms of depr...

Published on Mar 02, 2015

Employees who point out problems in the office may help the company improve, but could be hurting themselves in the process. Such negative-minded workers are more likely to become mentally fatigued and defensive and experience a drop-off in production, according to a new stud...

Published on Mar 02, 2015

Meditation might be an effective treatment for reducing chronic neck pain, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain. Chronic neck pain can lead to serious comorbidities like depression. Patients with chronic neck pain frequently experience distress. Meditation ha...

Published on Mar 02, 2015

There is some evidence that the UK ‘fit note,’ which replaced the ‘sick note’ in 2010 in the UK, is linked to fewer people taking long term sick leave of 12 or more weeks, reveals research published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. ...

Published on Mar 02, 2015

More than half of patients with symptoms of mental illness - and nearly one-third of those who also had diabetes - said their health care providers had never told them to exercise or reduce their intake of dietary fat, according to a new study. People with mental illness have...

Published on Feb 23, 2015

Stress is a staple of our lives today, and we know intuitively that it can influence our confidence in competing with others. But how exactly does stress do that? Scientists have found that stress can even be a cause of social inequality rather than just a consequence of it. ...

Published on Feb 23, 2015

Treadmill desks can help overweight or obese office workers get out of their chairs and get moving, but a 12-week study by an Oregon State University researcher found that the increase in physical activity was small and did not help workers meet public health guidelines for d...

Published on Feb 23, 2015

A study published today reveals a ‘spiral’ of abuse in which the victims of bullying become anxious, leaving them less able to stand up for themselves and more vulnerable to further harassment. The research suggests that employers should not only crack down on wor...

Published on Feb 23, 2015

Young and middle-aged women experience more stress than their male counterparts, which could contribute to worse recovery from acute myocardial infarction, according to a new study. “Women tend to report greater stress and more stressful life events than men, potentiall...

Published on Feb 16, 2015

Individuals with mental health disorders have a risk of mortality that is two times higher than the general population or than individuals without such disorders, according to a study published online by JAMA Psychiatry. The link between mental health disorders and mortality ...

Published on Feb 16, 2015

Over the past decade, there have been many encouraging findings suggesting that mindfulness training can improve a broad range of mental and physical health problems. Yet, exactly how mindfulness positively impacts health is not clear. Carnegie Mellon University’s J. Da...

Published on Feb 16, 2015

A massive 6.7% of the US population are affected by depressive disorders. As well as pessimism, irritability, pain and exhaustion, depression is also proven to affect communication and ability to maintain relationships. Depressed individuals are known to withdraw from negativ...

Published on Feb 16, 2015

Patients who increased doses of opioid medicines to manage chronic pain were more likely to experience an increase in depression, according to Saint Louis University findings in Pain. Previous research had found depression to be linked with patients' opioid use, but this ...

Published on Feb 09, 2015

Over the past decade, rising national wealth across high-income countries has contributed to some improvements in health and well-being among adolescents. But the gap in health between rich and poor has widened, an international study of nearly half a million adolescents from...

Published on Feb 09, 2015

New research finds that although pain thresholds and pain tolerance seemed unaffected by stress, there was a significant increase in pain intensification and a decrease in pain inhibition capabilities. "Stress can have positive repercussions in a challenging work environ...

Published on Feb 09, 2015

Only 15 percent of employed adults with asthma discussed with their doctor how work might affect their condition. However, of the employed adults with asthma, 46 percent had asthma that was possibly work-related. “Work-related asthma is under-diagnosed and under-recogni...

Published on Feb 02, 2015

"Wellness is more than just an obsession today," reveal authors Carl Cederstrom and Andre Spicer to the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's a moral demand...when health becomes an ideology, the failure to conform becomes a stigma." In an article published in ...

Published on Feb 02, 2015

It seems harmless: getting settled in for a night of marathon session for a favourite TV show, like House of Cards. But why do we binge-watch TV, and can it really be harmless? A recent study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found that the more lonely and d...

Published on Feb 02, 2015

New research has found that children whose parents experience time pressure are more likely to have mental health problems. "Parents’ experienced time pressure appears to be associated with the mental health of both girls and boys," said Hrafnhildur Gunnarsdot...

Published on Feb 02, 2015

Texting may be a more suitable treatment aid for those with mental illness than mobile applications. “Cell phone technology is in the hands of millions of Americans and early research indicates that this technology can be useful to help Americans who are suffering from ...

Published on Jan 26, 2015

ABC Health & Wellbeing have some post-holiday tips for building resilience at work. Building resilience is one way we can all reduce our stress at work and contribute to a more mentally healthy workplace, says Dr Sam Harvey, a psychiatrist with Black Dog Institute. T...

Published on Jan 26, 2015

Work is traditionally associated with negative connotations, writes Sydney Morning Herald, however the reality is that work is vital for good health. "This negative view of work neglects the experiences of those who are laid off or unemployed who want to work...Unem...

Published on Jan 26, 2015

Although nearly four in 10 workers wouldn’t tell their manager if they had a mental health problem, half said that if they knew about a coworker’s illness, they would desire to help, a new survey by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows. “S...

Published on Jan 26, 2015

A multi-institution team of sleep researchers recently found that workers who participated in an intervention aimed at reducing conflict between work and familial responsibilities slept an hour more each week and reported greater sleep sufficiency than those who did not parti...

Published on Jan 26, 2015

A psychosocially poor work environment means that employees experience highly demanding requirements but have little ability to control their work or not feel sufficiently appreciated for the contributions they make. A dissertation at The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Go...

Published on Jan 19, 2015

Worksite health promotion (WHP) programmes are designed to help identify and address health and lifestyle issues, and are offered by 40–75 per cent of employers in Europe and the US. But research suggests that a high proportion (50–75 per cent) of workers do not p...

Published on Jan 19, 2015

Having trouble sleeping? Then you are nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to eventually suffer from back pain, according to a new study. "After controlling for a range of variables, including socioeconomic status and lifestyle issues, we came to the conclusion that i...

Published on Jan 19, 2015

Some mental health workers find it difficult to recognise their own burnout. Even when they do, they struggle to admit it to others, says a new study. “Burnout has long been a problem in mental health workplaces and remains so despite much research and considerable know...

Published on Jan 19, 2015

Researchers report finding that exposure to long working hours was associated with higher odds of alcohol use. "Compared with working 35-40 hours a week, those working 49-54 and ≥55 hours experienced higher incidence of new onset risky alcohol use (>14 drinks/week ...

Published on Jan 19, 2015

"Obesity-attributable absenteeism among American workers costs the nation an estimated $8.65 billion per year," states a recent report. Researchers analysed nationally representative data to assess obesity-attributable workdays missed due to health, and the associat...

Published on Jan 19, 2015

Perfumes and fragrances can be an unrecognised cause of illness in the workplace, ABC Health and Wellbeing reports. "I see a lot of people who report problems from airborne exposure to perfumes," said Dr Colin Little. "For some of them, I think, it is just an i...

Published on Jan 12, 2015

Worksite health promotion (WHP) programmes are designed to help identify and address health and lifestyle issues, and are offered by 40–75% of employers in Europe and the US. But research suggests that a high proportion (50–75%) of workers do not participate. Rese...

Published on Jan 12, 2015

People having trouble sleeping are nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to eventually suffer from back pain, according to a new study conducted by the University of Haifa. “After controlling for a range of variables, including socioeconomic status and lifestyle issue...

Published on Jan 12, 2015

In a study of more than 5,500 school teachers to estimate the prevalence of depressive disorders in workers with burnout, 90% of the subjects identified as burned out met diagnostic criteria for depression. “The study suggests that the burnout-depression overlap has bee...

Published on Jan 12, 2015

Instead of an apple, could a hug-a-day keep the doctor away? "We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses,” said researchers. “We also know that people who report having social support are partly prot...

Published on Jan 12, 2015

A health promotion program, called In SHAPE, specifically designed for people with serious mental illness, produced more fit participants and significant weight loss than a control group where participants only received a gym membership. "Upwards of 80 percent of people ...

Published on Dec 29, 2014

Having a strong identification with a social group, such as a choir or a sports club, can help protect you against mental illness. Researchers investigated the link between group identification - one’s sense of belonging to a group, coupled with one’s sense of com...

Published on Dec 29, 2014

Medical News Today brings us an evidence-based article outlining the ways in which we can be mentally and physically healthy in the new year. Areas to address include: healthy diet; regular exercise; sleeping more; managing stress; working, volunteering or having a hobby; and...

Published on Dec 15, 2014

Cutting-edge research has finally put to rest one of the most plaguing medical questions of our time: "Why are doctor's room magazines so old?" The research, conducted at a New Zealand GP waiting room, involved both "gossipy" and "non-gossipy"...

Published on Dec 15, 2014

Wellness plans are an increasing feature of the workplace, yet there's little evidence to support their effectiveness in improving the health of workers, NPR Blogs reports. "One thing we do know is that wellness is particularly popular with employers right now, ...

Published on Dec 15, 2014

By reviewing tweets from users who publicly mentioned their diagnosis and by looking for language cues linked to certain disorders, researchers say, they’ve been able to quickly and inexpensively collect new data on post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, bipolar di...

Published on Dec 15, 2014

Berkeley researchers have linked inflated or deflated feelings of self-worth to such afflictions as bipolar disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, anxiety and depression, providing yet more evidence that the widening gulf between rich and poor can be bad for your health...

Published on Dec 08, 2014

Give therapists and psychiatrists information about the biology of a mental disorder, and they have less - not more - empathy for the patient, a new Yale study shows. Conventional wisdom suggests that biological explanations for psychiatric symptoms should reduce the blame pa...

Published on Dec 08, 2014

People in the country's unhappiest communities spend about a quarter of the month so far down in the dumps that it can harm their productivity, according to economists. "This is a real concern not just in the United States, but across the world," said researcher...

Published on Dec 08, 2014

A team of researchers established a fully computerised treatment that does not require a therapist or other mental health specialist, only access to a computer. The new intervention, called the Cognitive Anxiety Sensitivity Treatment, or CAST, is a 45-minute treatment that co...

Published on Dec 08, 2014

Researchers have found some key markers for vulnerability to psychological problems in men experiencing cancer. A group of 127 men aged 18 and over with a cancer diagnosis were recruited. The participants were assessed for demographic factors, social support, anxiet...

Published on Dec 08, 2014

The more time you spend getting to and from work, the less likely you are to be satisfied with life, says a new Waterloo study. The research reveals exactly why commuting is such a contentment killer - and surprisingly, traffic isn’t the only reason to blame.  &ldq...

Published on Dec 01, 2014

From holiday parties to happy hours, social events with co-workers and clients often revolve around alcohol, which can put non-drinkers in an awkward position: they don’t want to drink, but they do want to take part in events they feel are important to networking and ca...

Published on Dec 01, 2014

An important factor for stress has been identified. This is the protein secretagogin that plays an important role in the release of the stress hormone CRH and which only then enables stress processes in the brain to be transmitted to the pituitary gland and then onwards to th...

Published on Dec 01, 2014

Group mindfulness treatment is as effective as individual cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in patients with depression and anxiety, according to a new study from Swedish researchers. “The study’s results indicate that group mindfulness treatment, conducted by c...

Published on Dec 01, 2014

Women with symptoms of serious mental illness are significantly less likely to receive three routine cancer screenings – Pap tests, mammograms and clinical breast exams – than women in the general population, despite being at elevated risk for medical comorbiditie...

Published on Dec 01, 2014

People whose jobs require more complex work with other people, such as social workers and lawyers, or with data, like architects or graphic designers, may end up having longer-lasting memory and thinking abilities compared to people who do less complex work, according to new ...

Published on Nov 24, 2014

Activated through permanent stress, immune cells will have a damaging effect on and cause changes to the brain. This may result in mental disorders. A German research team focused mainly on a certain type of phagocytes, namely microglia. Under normal circumstances, they repai...

Published on Nov 24, 2014

A new study finds that having job authority increases symptoms of depression among women, but decreases them among men. “Women with job authority — the ability to hire, fire, and influence pay — have significantly more symptoms of depression than women witho...

Published on Nov 24, 2014

Obese workers miss more work days, and those absences carry high costs at the state and national level, according to a study in the November Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. “Obesity-attributable absenteeism among American workers costs the nation an ...

Published on Nov 24, 2014

A major new UK research centre to tackle the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on people’s ability to work has been announced. “We’re planning a number of specific research projects that could have important impacts on policy and on the management of muscu...

Published on Nov 17, 2014

Whether or not a given individual’s brain can deal effectively with stress, and thus their susceptibility to depression, depends on a single protein type in each person’s brain, according to a new study. “While most prior efforts in antidepressant drug disco...

Published on Nov 17, 2014

New research shows that when employers offered financial incentives, employees were 33 times more likely to participate in telephone health coaching, and did so sooner, than employees without incentives. Telephone health coaching – one-on-one phone calls with a personal...

Published on Nov 17, 2014

Major depressive disorder (MDD) should be re-conceptualised as an infectious disease, according to Turhan Canli, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology and Radiology at Stony Brook University. MDD remains highly prevalent disease with some 15 to 20 percent of the population e...

Published on Nov 10, 2014

"Workaholism is the rare mental health issue that can often have positive rewards in the short term -- namely, the praise of a happy boss," reports Huffington Post. Psychologist Bryan Robinson refers to workaholism “the best-dressed mental health problem.&rdqu...

Published on Nov 10, 2014

Researchers from Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals and the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that prescription opioids, including methadone, were involved in 67.8 percent of (or over 135,971 visits to) nationwide emergency department (ED) visits in 2010. &...

Published on Nov 10, 2014

New study results bolster the adage that “heart healthy is brain healthy.” The investigation shows neighbourhoods that motivate walking can stave off cognitive decline in older adults. "When the environment presents challenges that are reasonable and within a...

Published on Nov 10, 2014

A UCL-led study of 9,050 English people with an average age of 65 found that the people with the greatest wellbeing were 30% less likely to die during the average eight and a half year follow-up period than those with the least wellbeing. “These analyses show that the m...

Published on Nov 03, 2014

There is a general correlation between unemployment and suicide among men. But the weaker the unemployment protection in the country, the stronger the connection. These findings are reported in a comparative study covering thirty countries, focusing the impact of the Great Re...

Published on Nov 03, 2014

Imagine this scenario: You’ve been feeling persistently blue lately, so you pull out your phone. Instead of asking Siri to tell you a joke, though, you open an app that records you simply talking about your day. A few hours later, your therapist sends you a message aski...

Published on Nov 03, 2014

A multifaceted approach to teaching coping mechanisms may help critical care nurses better handle their stressful work environment, according to a study in the November issue of American Journal of Critical Care (AJCC). “Helping nurses develop stronger coping strategies...

Published on Nov 03, 2014

Even mild depressive symptoms can weaken the outcome of lumbar spinal stenosis surgery, according to a recent study completed at the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. Patients with depressive symptoms had a weaker functional capacity post-surgery e...

Published on Nov 03, 2014

Walking workstations can improve not only physical, but also mental health during the workday, a new study released this week found. “We found that the walking workstations, regardless of a person’s exercise habits or body mass index (BMI), had significant benefit...

Published on Oct 27, 2014

A new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that 39 million people in the United States or 19 percent have persistent pain, and the incidence varies according to age and gender. The authors noted that persistent pain correlated with other indices of health-related qu...

Published on Oct 27, 2014

People facing mental health challenges are significantly more likely to have heart disease or stroke, according to a new study. "This population is at high risk, and it's even greater for people with multiple mental health issues," says Dr. Katie Goldie. The stu...

Published on Oct 27, 2014

Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs used against muscle pain and arthritis may have a beneficial effect on depression symptoms. Ordinary over the counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs purchased from pharmacies may also be effective in the treatment of people suff...

Published on Oct 20, 2014

Being physically active three times a week reduces the odds of being depressed by approximately 16%, according to new UCL research undertaken as part of the Public Health Research Consortium. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found a two-way relationship between depres...

Published on Oct 20, 2014

Women are more likely to develop anxiety and depression after a heart attack (myocardial infarction; MI) than men, according to new research. “The World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 depression will be the second leading cause of disability and mortality in ...

Published on Oct 13, 2014

Payscale.com reports on five tips for making your workplace mentally healthier. The approaches include tips for fostering: Employee involvement; Employee growth and development; Employee recognition; Health and safety; and Work life balance. Click the heading link for more de...

Published on Oct 13, 2014

"Employees suffering from high stress levels have lower levels of engagement, are less productive and have higher absentee levels than those not operating under excessive pressure," reports Management Issues.com. New research found that 57 per cent of employees clai...

Published on Oct 13, 2014

Patients with a psychological cognitive disorder known as catastrophising are more likely to develop persistent, chronic pain after surgery, according to new research. Pain catastrophising occurs when a patient has an irrational and illogical focus on pain, perceiving that it...

Published on Oct 13, 2014

In western society, where keeping up with the Joneses - or, better yet, surpassing them - is expected and even encouraged, status matters. So important is it that for many people, physical and emotional wellbeing are directly connected to their place in the social hierarchy. ...

Published on Oct 06, 2014

Medical News Today reports on an editorial from the Canadian Medical Association Journal that investigates continuing widespread stigma surrounding depression. "On a global scale, [the burden of depression] is greater than that of diabetes or tuberculosis," wri...

Published on Oct 06, 2014

While chronic stress increases the risk of poor mental and physical health, not everyone is affected the same way. Some cope well, but for others - especially those most likely to sweat the small stuff - chronic stress can be harmful. New research from Concordia University ha...

Published on Oct 06, 2014

A study by San Diego State University psychology professor Jean M. Twenge shows Americans are more depressed now than they have been in decades. Analysing data from 6.9 million adolescents and adults found that Americans now report more psychosomatic symptoms of depression, s...

Published on Oct 06, 2014

University of Adelaide psychiatry researchers have developed a model that could help to predict a patient's likelihood of a good outcome from treatment - from their very first psychotic episode. The model is based on a range of factors, including clinical symptoms, cognit...

Published on Oct 06, 2014

 Ache, agony, distress and pain draw more attention than non-pain related words when it comes to people who suffer from chronic pain, a York University research using state-of-the-art eye-tracking technology has found. "We now know that people with and without chron...

Published on Sep 29, 2014

Stress can diminish the quality of sleep and increase your risk of insomnia, Huffington Post reports. "According to the American Psychological Association's Stress in America survey, 43 percent of adults say that stress causes them to lie awake at night, and mor...

Published on Sep 29, 2014

They are common suggestions to remedy stress: You just need a breath of fresh air. Walk it off. Get out and see people. Turns out all those things combined may in fact make you feel better – a lot better – a new large-scale study suggests. Group nature walks are l...

Published on Sep 29, 2014

Fruit and vegetable consumption could be as good for your mental as your physical health, new research suggests. The research found that high and low mental wellbeing were consistently associated with an individual’s fruit and vegetable consumption. 33.5% of respondents...

Published on Sep 29, 2014

Physical exercise has many beneficial effects on human health, including the protection from stress-induced depression. However, until now the mechanisms that mediate this protective effect have been unknown. In a new study in mice, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Swe...

Published on Sep 22, 2014

New York Times reports on a new study of low-tech treatments for plantar fasciitis, suggesting relief can be found with a few simple exercises. "Until recently, first-line treatments involved stretching and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen or cortison...

Published on Sep 22, 2014

Individuals living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods have worse musculoskeletal pain outcomes over time after stressful events such as motor vehicle collision than individuals from higher socioeconomic status neighbourhoods, even after accounting for individual characteristics ...

Published on Sep 22, 2014

Impossible deadlines, demanding bosses, abusive colleagues, unpaid overtime: all factors that can lead to a burnout. But when it comes to mental health in the workplace, the influence of home life must also be considered to get the full picture. A study shows that fewer menta...

Published on Sep 15, 2014

Attending work while suffering a depressive illness could help employees better manage their depression more than taking a sickness absence from work, a new study has found. "We found that continuing to work while experiencing a depressive illness may offer employees cer...

Published on Sep 15, 2014

A report reveals that people who stopped driving and started walking or cycling to work benefited from improved wellbeing. In particular, active commuters felt better able to concentrate and were less under strain than if they travelled by car. These benefits come on top of t...

Published on Sep 15, 2014

Brief online mindfulness interventions requiring only two hours of training and practice per week are effective at reducing fatigue and negative work-related rumination and at improving sleep quality. Persistent work-related rumination, in particular where individuals experie...

Published on Mar 17, 2021

Fatigue, workload, workplace stress, occupational violence, harassment and gender-based violence: Canberra's work safety commissioner Jacqueline Agius says that all jurisdictions have an urgent need to  tackle psychosocial hazards in the workplace and broaden the definition...

Published on Jan 22, 2019

The Australian Capital Territory will become a self-insurer on March 1, eliminating Comcare's hands-on role in the workers' compensation scheme and handing over liability decisions and claims management to for-profit firm Employers Mutual Limited. The government will no longe...

Published on Oct 23, 2018

ACT's work safety watchdog, issued a $10 million penalty to the Education Directorate for failing to adequately address the health and safety of staff. A kindergarten worker suffering from psychological injury, is in a mental health facility two years after being re...

Published on Nov 20, 2017

ACT construction workers, as well as those who work in healthcare, retail, electricity and the arts, beware: your serious workers' compensation claims are the highest in the country. Across all industries in the ACT, 3.5 workers per thousand made a serious claim, mak...

Published on Jun 05, 2017

The ACT government has abandoned plans to ditch Comcare for public sector workers' compensation, deciding instead to stick with the national body. The plan to ditch Comcare was announced in 2015, amidst rising premiums and concerns about claims management.   A ...

Published on Jul 17, 2016

A young concreter was killed four years ago when struck by a 39 metre boom in Canberra. He did not have a will. His mother didn't think he was in a serious relationship, but he had been seeing a woman for eight months. The young woman lodged the claim for the death benefi...

Published on May 15, 2016

A woman began working in the crisis-planning team at Airservice Australia as a coordinator, tasked with developing and instituting training and emergency plans around Australia. She lacked relevant experience to work effectively in the role and was not provided with training....

Published on Apr 17, 2016

A worker at the Australian Federal Police has had her compensation win overturned after a successful appeal by Comcare. The worker alleged that she was sexually harassed, bullied and intimidated by her colleagues in Canberra. The claim focused on a meeting in 2013, but she al...

Published on Mar 28, 2016

Trades Unions in the ACT are objecting to changes in the workers' compensation system. These changes are expected to impact over 20,000 public servants in the ACT, including emergency services workers, teachers and numbers. The government is in discussions with the coalit...

Published on Mar 06, 2016

Eight unions have raised concerns about changes to the ACT workers compensation system, however the government states that the changes are far from being finalised. The ACT is looking at removing its public service workers from the Comcare scheme, believing it can get better ...

Published on Sep 21, 2015

The sick note system is being replaced with the fit note system in the ACT. The new system which allows doctors to nominate workers for phased RTW, alternative hours, get-well programs or changes in the workplace, is set to be rolled out across 400 general practitioners aroun...

Published on Jul 12, 2015

According to a new report from Safe Work Australia, ACT construction sites are the most dangerous in the country. The territory suffered 29 serious injury claims during 2012-2012, while in Victoria there were just 12.9, despite the large difference in population size. ACT'...

Published on Mar 09, 2015

Since leaving national workers' compensation insurer Comcare, the ACT government appears set to develop a new workers' compensation scheme for public service workers, The Mandarin reports. The plan would see WorkSafe ACT responsible for regulating both safety and...

Published on Mar 02, 2015

The ACT territory's government reportedly became increasingly dissatisfied with the federal workplace insurer in the lead up to the decision. The issues included the bill for premiums approaching $1b and the slow pace of change in Comcare - and they are not alone. The Aus...

Published on Feb 16, 2015

A chronic pain case sparked by office ergonomics problems has led to an 18-month legal dispute over workers' compensation, Canberra Times reports. A former ATO employee's desk had had "major" adjustments made, with instructions from the employer warning to &...

Published on Nov 24, 2014

Researchers from the Australian National University's Research School of Chemistry have made a large amount of a strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug. Currently, the molecule is only found in minuscule quantities in a rare coral found off the Bahamas. "Wh...

Published on Oct 27, 2014

ACT government bureaucrats lodged 3.6 mental health claims per 1000 workers in 2013-14, compared with 1.9 claims per 1000 workers from the Australian Public Service, Sydney Morning Herald reports. The figures come from evidence to a Senate Estimate hearings by Comcare th...

Published on Oct 20, 2014

Changes to public service workers' compensation legislation planned by the Federal Government have been called "harsh, unjust" and "gratuitously mean" by the Opposition, The Sydney Morning Herald reports. Labor says the changes will leaveover 160,000 p...

Published on Sep 08, 2014

A public servant has lost appeal for workers' compensation over his claim that a telephone call with his boss left him psychologically unfit for work, The Sydney Morning Herald Reports. "The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has ruled that an Australian Taxation O...

Published on Jul 27, 2014

Department of Employment deputy secretary Jennifer Taylor will replace Comcare's current CEO Paul O'Connor as his term expires late next month, Sydney Morning Herald reports. "Comcare is facing many challenges in the coming years including improving return-to-wor...

Published on Jul 13, 2014

Sydney Morning Herald reports on changes to Comcare that would see public servants injured on a coffee break away from the office not compensated. The changes would deny bureaucrats hurt via ''serious and wilful misconduct'' or by ''voluntarily an...

Published on Apr 27, 2014

WorkSafe ACT has released a report accusing the ACT government of failing to properly investigate bullying claims made by an intensive care paramedic against senior staff, Canberra Times reports. The finding has prompted union calls for involvement of an external body to ...

Published on Apr 07, 2014

The ACT government has the fourth-highest insurance premium of 120 government organisations covered by Comcare, reports Canberra Times.  The territory's workers' comp insurance premium for the 2013-14 period rose 14 per cent on the previous year. This was mostly ...

Published on Mar 24, 2014

Comcare has released data and a press release stating that while "many employers across the APS are working to reduce workplace harm and return their ill and injured people to work...The data shows that still more needs to be done." The press release encourages &quo...