Research Updates

This page lists all research updates available on Return to Work Matters.

Research is chosen for review based on quality of the evidence and its practical value in return to work.

Requests to undertake reviews of research on particular subjects are welcome.

Click the ‘Topics’ button below to drill down into all articles and research updates on your topic of interest.

Action lagging behind good intentions?

contributorRTWMatters team

Workers see the benefits of good workplace mental health but think business and government need...

Supervisors reveal anxieties about mental health

contributorRTWMatters team

Supervisors describe mental health-related work absences as unpredictable and worrisome. How...

Super Support

contributorRTWMatters team

Experienced supervisors list ten ways they understand and support injured workers

Women, children and RTW

contributorRTWMatters team

Injury has a big impact on home life. Does home life (especially caring for dependent children)...

What is the story, Safe Work Australia?

contributorRTWMatters team

Claims are going down but costs are going up. Has safety improved? We dig into the data on...

Work Versus Return to Work?

contributorRTWMatters team

Supervisors say that balancing competing demands is an integral part of supporting RTW

Snapshot of Australian claims, 2015-16

contributorRTWMatters team

The latest in Australian workers compensation data: we summarise claims numbers by gender,...

Supervisors know RTW is a team sport

contributorRTWMatters team

What competencies do supervisors think they need to manage the impact of RTW on teams and coworkers?

Supervisor self-care

contributorRTWMatters team

Supervising RTW can be challenging, both emotionally and professionally. What supports are...

Preventing chronic MSDs

contributorGabrielle Lis

The right kind of vocational rehabilitation can stave off the transition to chronic disability....

Co-worker collateral

contributorRTWMatters team

Return to work processes are designed to help injured workers recover on the job but co-workers...

Team players or nay-sayers?

contributorRTWMatters team

Five things that make or break co-worker support for modified duties during the early days of...

Training to fail?

contributorRTWMatters team

Australian Return to Work Coordinators complain about the quality and relevance of the training...

Positivity and disability

contributorRTWMatters team

What personality traits and experiences make people more likely to cope with adversity such as...

The downside of accommodation

contributorGabrielle Lis

A look at the challenges faced by supervisors obliged to oversee modified duties in a workplace...

Jargon busters

contributorGabrielle Lis

Researchers are worried that medical mumbo jumbo hurts recovery. What happens when medical...

Back to basics: RTW plans

contributorRTWMatters team

What aspects of RTW planning are the most important, according to supervisors and rehabilitation...

Asking questions improves RTW motivation

contributorDr Mary Wyatt

Motivational interviewing promotes better RTW results, especially for people who lose or leave...

The talking heart of RTW

contributorRTWMatters team

What kinds of communication skills do supervisors need to support injured workers?

Supervisors and the bureaucracy of RTW

contributorRTWMatters team

In order to support RTW, supervisors must understand injury management systems and processes....

Flexible workers or flexible work?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Choice and control is good for worker health, according to a review of the research on workplace...

Popularity contest

contributorRTWMatters team

Rehabilitation professionals see the personal qualities of supervisors (e.g. honesty, fairness...

Work hours = health risk?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Working more than 39 hours per week negatively impacts mental health; as do very short working...

Research reveals top ten supervisor skills for RTW

contributorRTWMatters team

Honesty, respect for privacy, job knowledge and tough love all make the list of supervisor...

Support or confrontation?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Supervisors discuss whether support is enough to keep workers with MSDs at work, or whether a...

Rethinking injury and unfairness

contributorGabrielle Lis

Why do some people focus on the injustice of their injury while others move on with equanimity?...

Profile: Supervisors who support modified duties

contributorGabrielle Lis

Supervisors who show concern and respect for workers, who have the autonomy to make decisions...

What helps depressed workers stay at work?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Workplace interventions, CBT and stretching can all reduce sick leave amongst workers with...

An intervention for low back pain that works

contributorGabrielle Lis

Evidence-based! Cost-effective! Proactive! Popular! You will love this new workplace...

Tick, tick, tick

contributorGabrielle Lis

The more time that elapses before low back injury is reported and treated, and the longer...

Twins in pain?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Negative ideas about pain can derail recovery and return to work, causing immense frustration...

Five ways to manage conflict

contributorRTWMatters team

Integration, obligation, domination, avoidance and compromise are all valid ways to manage...

Going backwards on mental health

contributorGabrielle Lis

Australian organisations are missing out on many opportunities to promote and support good...

Do workplace interventions improve RTW outcomes?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Workplace interventions are effective for workers with musculoskeletal disorders, but the...

What do employers think of GPs?

contributorGabrielle Lis

Workers compensation systems rely on collaboration between stakeholders to achieve good...

Corralling the research on cancer and RTW

contributorGabrielle Lis

The evidence-based low-down on a problem many Australians will face: returning to work after...

We need to talk about GPs

contributorGabrielle Lis

According to Canadian researchers the responsibilities of GPs in relation to workers...

Q: Are psychosocial interventions effective treatments for chronic pain?

contributorGabrielle Lis

A: CBT, ACT and mindfulness therapies can help people remain active and cope with chronic pain,...

(Mis)managing mental health claims in Australia

contributorGabrielle Lis

GPs, injured workers, employers and insurers weigh in on the difficulties of managing mental...

Snapshot: Sickness certification by Australian GPs

contributorGabrielle Lis

Eight years of data from the Victorian workers compensation system reveals that GP certification...