Articles tagged under ‘Health and productivity’

Articles 1 - 90 of 90

• Why modern office work is not as safe as we think

  A literature and industry review is challenging the widespread belief that computer-based office work is inherently safe.

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

  Did you know that by fostering happiness at work, RTW professionals and employers can support injured workers’ recovery?

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• How Return to Work SA’s Surgery Assist program is enhancing recovery and RTW — Part 2

  Return to Work SA’s approach to supporting injured workers through surgery and recovery is delivering pleasing results.

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• Small business, big support — a coaching service for mental wellness and business success

  Beyond Blue’s New Access for Small Business Owners service (NASBO) is providing valuable mental health support for small business owners struggling with the challenges brought about by work and personal pressures.

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• Heading mental health injury claims off at the pass

  Tips for some proactive strategies organisations can use to address mental health concerns before they escalate and become a workers’ comp claim.

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• Where are we at? — psychosocial risk and regulation in Oz, the UK and the US

  How do Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States compare when it comes to regulating and enforcing the management of psychosocial risks and hazards?

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• How do Work Health and Safety psychosocial regulations line up with RTW laws? And how do employers comply with both?

  What should employers do to make sure they're complying with both Work Health and Safety psychosocial regulations and laws about return to work?

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

  The era of prioritising mental health and psychological safety in the workplace has arrived. There’s been a transformative shift in what employers are expected to do to manage psychosocial hazards at work.

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

  This is Part 1 of a 2-part article that summarises a presentation by Professor Angela Martin at the 2022 Workplace Mental Health Symposium. It looks at the ‘what’ about how organisations can prevent harm to people's mental health at work’.

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

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

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• ‘We started with bananas’ — self-managing the culture of a small business

  One of the rewarding things about having a self-managed company can be empowering workers to reach their full potential and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. A small business owner shows how she did it.

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• The AI cat is out of the bag — transparency, and reflections from the RTWMatters team

  ChatGPT. We’re betting you’ve heard about it lately. It’s been hard to miss, and seems here to stay. The RTWMatters team wanted to find out for ourselves what it was all about. We’re on board with it, and want to tell you how we are using it.

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• Job crafting — another way to self-manage long-term pain problems

  Self-management of long-term pain conditions doesn’t just mean doing things to manage the physical symptoms of the condition. It can also involve other ways to improve overall quality of life — like job-crafting.

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• Managing musculoskeletal conditions at work (Part 2) — 6 steps to a job change

  For some people with back pain or other musculoskeletal conditions, self-management may mean finding a different job. An occupational rehabilitation consultant sets out 6 steps to successfully navigate a change in a career path.

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

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

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• ‘WorkWell: Preventing mental injury and promoting mental health’

  There are 11 work-related factors that employers must identify and manage to prevent mental injury and promote safe and mentally healthy workplaces.

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• Q&A with mental health workplace consultant

  "Since the pandemic started, there is a general desire by workplaces to do more about workplace mental health – and to move beyond the awareness raising stage to taking effective workplace action"

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• Webinar recording: No Time for Health - New ways to overcome the challenges of engaging with small business around mental health and wellbeing

  An important conversation about the challenges of engaging with small business owners and how we can begin to bridge the gap with this unique group to protect and promote their mental health and wellbeing.

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• Thrive at work - Resources and guides

  We speak with Professor of Practice Karina Jorritsma, one of the lead researchers at Thrive at Work, about how to manage and prevent mental ill-health at work, and promote employee thriving.

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• A call to pillows!

  Organisations have a lot to gain from battling insomnia, with benefits ranging from increased productivity, less burnout, better worker mental health and fewer workplace accidents. And research shows that workplace interventions can improve sleep.

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• Workplace mental health resources by jurisdiction

  Not knowing where to begin is a barrier that prevents some organisations from taking action on workplace mental health. We've assembled a list of high quality resources from workers' compensation authorities and government sources, organised by

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• The Covid long haul

  They call themselves the long-haulers – people who struggle with persistent symptoms months after “recovering” from Covid-19. How common is post-covid syndrome? What are the symptoms? How might it affect RTW?

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• Working from home while homeschooling the kids

  It's a tough gig, but expert advice suggests that it is possible to maintain the wellbeing of workers and their kids in that unprecedented 2020 phenomenon, the home / school / office.

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• Rethinking presenteeism and prevention, post-COVID-19

  Swap soldiering on for staying at home. Forgo social contact we used to take for granted. Two ways the status quo has gotta go in the post-COVID working world - and some potential unintended consequences.

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• Webinar recording: Implications for the Health Benefits of Good Work in the era of COVID-19

  Good work has health benefits even during times of crisis. Tips for supporting remote workers, protecting essential services workers, and looking after injured workers whilst coping with COVID.

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• Thriving at work in risky times

  We hit some potential pandemic pain points, share resources to help organisations tackle them and tune in to the advice from a paediatric oncologist who wants us all to adapt and thrive at work during COVID-19.

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• Coping with quarantine (and social distancing)

  Quarantine is hard on people’s mental health but we can reduce the risks for those forced into isolation – and discover some social distancing mental health hacks in the process.

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• Working through COVID-19

  Practical and authoritative material to help you navigate these unprecedented times.

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• Webinar recording: Good work design – it is in the DNA of a human-centred organisation

  Dr Sara Pazell discusses how a human-centred organisation is committed to work and job design that promotes worker health, well-being, and productivity.

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• Webinar recording: Compassion fatigue and emotional well-being of workers compensation employees

  This webinar will discuss new research which has begun to consider risk factors and protective factors for professional quality of life in Australian workers compensation professionals.

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• Work injury and good work

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

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• Workplace Health Management programs save one hospital around $200k

  Kevin Jones of the SafetyAtWorkBlog describes research into the benefits of said program, including reductions in injury management costs and premiums, fewer injury compensation claims and quicker RTW rates.

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• Q&A on sleep and work

  "Enlightened bosses are interested in whether or not workers are getting enough sleep," says Professor David Hillman, of the Sleep Health Foundation

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• PEMA results at work

  Workplace examples illustrate how employers use (and misuse) the results of pre-employment medical assessments

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

  And initiatives of the Australian HBGW Signatory Steering Group.

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• The best Vs the rest: mental health at work

  Fifteen things that the best performing organisations do to promote good mental health at work

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• Australia's most wanted: a mentally healthy workplace

  Want to secure a mentally healthy workplace but not exactly sure what one looks like? Mental health foundation Superfriend have drawn a picture of the target.

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• The end of sitting

  Forget whistling: can standing, walking and cycling while we work improve the health of desk-bound workers? Or are active workstations more spin than substance?

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• Bus Wellness Guides 3: Ideas and Resources

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• Bus Wellness Guide 2: A guide for managers

  Managers and supervisors can have an enormous impact on employee health, wellness and safety. They monitor how well policies promote performance and productivity.

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• Bus Wellness Guide 1: advice for operators and leaders

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• Webinar recording: Cultivating happiness at work to improve RTW

  The Happiness at Work Program, a 30-day program devised to improve personal happiness and positively impact workplace productivity.

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• What employers are doing to develop a flexible workplace in 2016

  Diversity and Work-Life Specialist, SeventeenHundred

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• Compensation: does it do more harm than good?

  Professor Ian Cameron from the University of Sydney spoke at the 2016 ISCRR Forum on ways that the compensation claims procedures can be changed as well as other possible interventions.

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• Chronic Pain in the Workplace: a psychological approach

  Dr Matt Graham, a registered psychologist and team psychologist at OrionHealth, explores the skill sets needed to assist employees to return to work.

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• Mental Stress in Australia: Compensation Statistics part 1

  Work-related mental stress places a burden on the health and welfare of employees, as well as having an impact on workplace productivity and the Australian economy.

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• Health and Wellness in the Workplace: how to promote it

  Every business wants to increase productivity and make money. Many businesses are, however, unaware of the benefits to their 'bottom line' finances, of investing in staff well-being.

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• Case Study: Injured, but not at work. What to do?

  Workers with injuries sustained away from work may be tempted to protect their financial interests by lodging a compensation claim anyway. Dr Wyatt describes how support and boundaries can help.

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• How to get the best out of your physiotherapist

  Physiotherapy treatment is common for a range of standard conditions, particularly including musculoskeletal injuries.

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• On Being a Company Doctor

  Dr James Crompton discusses the challenges and rewards of working as a company doctor.

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• Role Summary: Rehabilitation Providers

  Rehabilitation providers are multidisciplinary organisations which employ professionals from a range of health disciplines.

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• Role Summary: Exercise Physiologist

  Exercise Physiologists are Allied Health professionals who focus on therapeutic physical exercise. They use exercise as medicine.

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• Applying Risk Theory to Occupational Health

  A simple adaptation of risk theory to occupational health can deliver significant improvements in productivity and a reduction in workplace accidents.

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• The Balancing Act

  We speak to rehab provider Donna Valiant about managing everybody's needs, expectations and obligations during the RTW process.

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• Driving change

  How one car manufacturer steered their ageing workforce towards higher productivity

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• Missing the signs

  Organisations who offer "good work" have fewer stress and musculoskeletal claims. Managerial competence helps determine whether work is "good". Are Australian organisations missing the signs?

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• Philosopher King

  An Italian entrepreneur has turned the Umbrian village of Solomeo into both a fashion factory, and an extraordinary experiment in workplace health and wellbeing.

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• Why bother with workplace wellness?

  1. Return on investment; 2. Health and productivity for ageing workers...

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• Health and wellbeing in the real world

  Trouble convincing your organisation to invest in workplace health and wellbeing? Try these "magic bullet" case studies from the UK...

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• Can we cooperate for workplace health and wellbeing?

  And can the UK show us how it's done?

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• Workplace stress: we can work it out

  Causes of stress, and why it will never disappear if we don't encourage the right behaviours.

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• The economic costs of a heart attack

  Heart attacks result in $A3.8 billion in lost productivity

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• Extinguish smoking at work

  Make your workplace a totally smoke-free zone

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• Fuel for your fire: Burnout prevention eTool

  Following on from our 3-part series on job burnout, 'Maintain the flame', we provide a fully editable burnout prevention eTool.

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• Maintain the flame: Part 3 - Employers and job burnout

  What can employers do to help prevent and respond to burnout?

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• Maintain the flame: Part 2 - Employees and job burnout

  We look at how RTW Coordinators can help prevent, manage, and assist recovery from burnout

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• Maintain the flame: Job burnout part 1

  In part 1 of a 3-part series, we look at the symptoms, causes and effects of job burnout

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• Good, better, best

  What do good health, better financial returns and the "Best Places to Work" have in common?

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• Workplace wellbeing - front and Centre(link)

  We speak to Jody Bell about Centrelink's award-winning health and wellbeing initiative.

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• Sedentary exercise

  Think that 30-40 minutes of daily exercise gets an office-based workforce off the hook? Think again. Activity throughout the day is a must for good health.

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• Calculating absenteeism costs

  Calculating the costs of absenteeism will help you make the case for better injury management systems and investment in health and wellbeing.

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• Estimating turnover costs

  Making the business case for best practice injury management? There are simple methods to assist you in calculating the rate and cost of staff turnover in your organisation.

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• Bring body, breath AND mind to work

  Most of us do not think about consciously connecting our mind with our body, breath and soul; but research shows benefits for RTW.

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• Walk this way

  Finding it hard to move your company on workplace wellbeing? Run these case studies by them and see if they don't step to a new tune.

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• Make no bones about it

  The Australian Government has made arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions national health priorities in the battle against chronic disease in Australia.

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• Mind power

  Psychologist Colin Thompson introduces us to Mindfulness Therapy, which has been shown to assist people with problems including anxiety, chronic pain and addiction.

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• Take this health message to heart

  Avoid heart disease with this fact sheet and our top tips for a healthy workplace.

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• Health and productivity in smaller workplaces

  You can't afford hit and miss. What works, what doesn't and how can you market tried and true solutions to your employees?

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• Top ten reasons to have a health and wellbeing program

  Need some ammunition to make the case for investment in health and wellbeing? Look no further than our latest top ten...

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• Won't stand for another work risk?

  Fair enough - but you might not want to take this RTW news sitting down.

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• The proven pay-off of workplace health programs

  The results of a Monash University study assessing the results of participation in the Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) are in: employee wellbeing improves when employers invest.

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• Dos and Don'ts for workplace health during a downturn or recession

  A short guide to surviving a downturn in business for busy RTW and OHS professionals.

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• On the clock and over the hill? Ageing workers in physical industries

  We can't turn back the clock, but we can offer advice on how to minimise the impact of age on "work ability" in physically intensive industries.

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• What is the value of research?

  A look at why money spent on researching health is money spent well.

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• Habitat at Work (New Zealand)

  Web based self assessment & exercise tool

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• Promoting active workplaces for better work health

  For employers looking to increase productivity and reduce sick days, a workplace wellness program could be the answer.

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• On-site injury management

  A chapter summary from the book 'Moving in on occupational injury' exploring the benefits of on-site medical presence.

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• Building a corporate culture of health - Dr Catherine Hamilton

  From the Institute for Health and Productivity Management.

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• Sleepy when you shouldn't be - three takes on sleepiness in the workplace

  This article explores some of the risks involved with sleepiness in the workplace.

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• In body but not mind - presenteeism in the workplace

  Sometimes employees need return to work assistance even while they're still physically in the workplace.

Archived Articles 1 - 16 of 16

• Q&A with mental health workplace consultant

  "Employers are really switched on now, they understand the importance of workplace mental health, and more and more they understand that they need to do something about it even when there are no obvious problems."

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• Opinion: Management impact too large to ignore

  The recent political leadership tussle reminds us that how people are managed affects their wellbeing and has an enormous impact on productivity.

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• Viva la WorkHealth!

  What do results from WorkSafe's WorkHealth revolution tell us about worker health--and the effectiveness of the one size fits all approach to workplace intervention?

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• Aussie consensus sought on health and work

  Can Professor Dame Carol Black persuade unions, business and medical professionals to agree on the health benefits of good work?

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• Which way to workplace health?

  Across Australia, government has allocated funding for the Healthy Worker Initiative, which has a focus on preventative health. Is this a step in the right direction?

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• The age debate

  Abbott and Gillard are right: population size does matter. But are they forgetting about the challenges to participation and productivity posed by Australia's ageing workforce?

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• The Black report transforms health, work in UK

  The implementation of "Working for a healthier tomorrow" is revolutionising health and work in the UK. What are the key initiatives?

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• Health and work: Boon or bust?

  The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine wants you to reconsider the health / work relationship.

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• Economic Decline and Workplace Health Initiatives

  Health and the workplace - an international issue

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• Return to Work Matters Strategic Summer Reading Package

  Three volumes of RTWMatters Greatest Hits to get you pointed in the right direction

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• Locating the presence of presenteeism

  Want to deal with presenteeism properly? Know what you're dealing with.

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• Health intervention gets outta town!

  At 10 000 steps a day, healthy creativity goes a LONG way...

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• Waste not, want not

  According to a new study to emerge from the UK, employers are squandering their workers' talents.

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• Work-related musculoskeletal disorders

  Of all Australian work-related injuries, a large percentage can be categorised as musculoskeletal disorders.

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• Work life balance - much more than a feel good balance - Dr Lindsay McMillan

  The Boston College Centre for Work and Family has revealed that 70% of managers felt that productivity had been improved in those workplaces which had a good life balance.

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• Health and productivity program introduction , Sean Sullivan, CEO, IHPM

  From the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM)

Research 1 - 54 of 54

• A snapshot of the health of Australia's workforce

  Research from Monash University shows not just where we are, but where we need to go to better protect and support Australia's workforce.

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• An (a)gender for change — how workplace injustice harms female police officers' health

  A study reveals how deeply embedded unfairness in police organisations threatens both the well-being and advancement of female officers.

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• Hard hats prefer softer approaches when it comes to mental health support

  A study reveals that construction workers prefer informal support for mental health issues, raising questions about the effectiveness of the widely implemented Mental Health First Aid programs in the construction industry.

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• Turning challenges into opportunities — promoting clinician well-being in compensable injury schemes

  Treating people with an injury compensation claim has its challenges. But it can also be a source of fulfilment for healthcare providers in this field.

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• What motivates workers to improve their health?

  A personalised approach and workplace support are the keys to helping a worker adopt healthier habits.

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• 41,000 years lost — the real price of workplace injuries

  A study reveals the staggering impact of workplace injuries and illnesses in Australia.

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• How supervisors can prevent staff burnout

  Supervisors’ personal experiences of burnout, their attitudes towards mental health and the quality of their relationship with employees affect how well they identify and deal with the early signs of worker burnout.

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• ‘You look much prettier when you smile’ — emerging psychosocial risks in the hospitality industry

  A study identifies some new psychosocial risks in hospitality jobs and proposes a way to assess them.

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• Can work health and safety management systems address psychosocial risks?

  Using anonymous data in workplace risk assessments, taking the results seriously and having a systematic approach to managing them can help organisations deal with psychosocial risks.

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• Don’t take back pain lying down — how rest can make ‘flares’ worse

  A study confirms that even small changes in your daily habits, like how long you sleep and how active you are, can make a difference to whether you have a pain flare-up or not.

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• Is exercise really a good way to self-manage depression?

  For people who are looking for a natural, drug-free way to manage their depression, a recent study confirms that exercise can be a fantastic option. It's especially important for those who may not want to take medication or go to therapy.

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• Safer, healthier, wealthier — the economic value of reducing work-related injuries and illnesses

  What’s the economic impact of work-related illness or injury? Safe Work Australia engaged Deloitte Access Economics find out. A ground-breaking economic modelling approach shows that our economy could be a lot better off with better work health and safety.

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• The high cost of losing value at work

  Supervisors need to recognise that workers who feel socially devalued at work suffer health and wellbeing consequences, according to experts who conducted a massive review of the available research.

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• Failure to implement

  Workplace health and wellbeing programs almost always sound great in theory, but often come unstuck during implementation. Researchers analysed 74 studies to see where organisations typically go wrong…

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• Gaming workplace wellness

  For sedentary office workers, gamification steps up activity but nudges (e.g. signs) in the workplace fail to maintain the gains.

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• Will IT cause chronic health problems?

  Sedentary work and screen time leisure sound warning bells for the future health of the growing information technology (IT) workforce.

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• Sick lifestyle? More leave, less work ability

  Workers with healthy lifestyles have less sick leave and higher work ability than those who smoke, eat poorly, exercise little and are overweight.

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• We need better workplace interventions for common mental disorders

  Tackle the psychosocial work environment if you want to see higher productivity, less sickness absence and timely, durable RTW for workers with CMDs such as depression and anxiety, say Swedish researchers.

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• Less mental illness, more flourishing at work

  Can interventions that target the psychosocial work environment reduce mental illness AND contribute to flourishing mental health?

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• What's behind presenteeism?

  Research identifies four productivity-sappers that can lead to presenteeism: job characteristics, physical health, mental health and lack of support from the workplace. Can you pick the most influential?

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• Metabolic syndrome: risks and opportunities

  Metabolic syndrome compromises health and work, but a personalised exercise intervention helps VW workers leave these problems in the dust...

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• Where are the mental health nuts and bolts?

  Mental health capabilities, culture, policies and procedures are lacking compared to leadership and workplace connectedness, according to Superfriend.

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• Action lagging behind good intentions?

  Workers see the benefits of good workplace mental health but think business and government need to take action, according to Superfriend

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• Work hours = health risk?

  Working more than 39 hours per week negatively impacts mental health; as do very short working hours. Generally, women have a lower threshold than men.

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• Research short: Flexible hours improves wellbeing

  A University of Wollongong survey shows employees with access to flexible working hours are in better shape than those working to a rigid roster.

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• Research short: Bad for the body, bad for the workplace

  A major study from the Netherlands shows productivity can be improved by helping workers improve their lifestyles.

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• Research short: A happy work is a healthy work

  Positive workplace environments are necessary for workplace health programs to be successful.

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• Research short: health risks and disability

  Individuals with disabilities are more likely to engage in risky health behaviours like smoking and drinking alcohol.

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• Off the clock and on the ball

  This follow-up study examined the relationship between the after-hours physical activity of workers and their absences from work due to sick leave.

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• Health and wellbeing: Take it online and show me the money!

  Do online physical activity programs work? And are cash incentives good for motivation?

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• Do obese workers cost more?

  Investigating obesity-related costs for employers.

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• Screening for distress

  Studies suggest that it is possible to identify workers at risk of developing psychological distress and intervene before productivity suffers

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• Kapow! Beating obesity and high blood pressure through workplace intervention

  Clear goals and helpful tools ensure that workplace interventions pack a real punch

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• Workplace health and wellbeing : You've got to be in it to win it!

  Comprehensive equals effective when it comes to workplace health and wellbeing programs...

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• Depression: Optimising care for the employee and the workplace

  Depression exacerbates and prolongs pain. What does this mean for the workplace?

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• Lets get physical, physical!

  What makes some people more likely to participate in physical activity than others?

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• Costs vs benefits of obesity interventions

  Workplace health program shows reductions in total health costs and improvements in productivity

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• Healthy work environment = Healthy workers

  Workers care about support and respect in the workplace and notice whether health and safety are management priorities.

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• 6 elements of successful workplace health programs

  Want healthy workers? A well designed workplace health program can help!

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• Healthy at work

  Productivity declines more when unwell people are at work rather than absent.

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• Poor health linked to lower productivity

  Why investing in worker health may boost productivity.

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• Leadership in the workplace

  Does good leadership promote good health?

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• Age + overtime = Lower productivity??? - the evidence

  Research shows that older workers CAN work overtime and remain productive

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• Balance at work, balance at home

  Workplace flexibility is associated with better employee health

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• Physical activity a must for sedentary workers

  Contrary to expectations, sedentary workers are more likely than heavy workers to lead inactive lives

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• This round is on the boss...

  Alcohol consumption and work absenteeism: Educating workers and preventing absence

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• Who's the boss? Health and control in the workplace

  If a sense of workplace control is linked to good health, how can it be fostered?

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• Countering job dissatisfaction in immigrant workers

  What can employers do to tackle the problem of job dissatisfaction?

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• Challenges and opportunities for preventing depression

  This article explores some of the ways to manage and prevent major depression in the workplace.

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• Recognising depression at work

  We all know depression is a problem, but do we recognise depression when we see it?

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• The business of depression

  There is a good business case for educating your workforce about depression

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• The costs of mental health problems ARE negotiable

  Lowering the costs of mental health problems for governments, employers, families and sufferers

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• Bearing the brunt of obesity

  How obesity impacts the workplace

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• Save lives and money with health and productivity management

  The best work disability programs are broader than return to work management. Improving the health of the workforce reduces absenteeism, compensation costs and improves productivity.