Articles tagged under ‘Workplace interventions’
Articles 1 - 78 of 78
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Webinar recording: Manufacturing Healthy Minds
Hear about the Manufacturing Healthy Minds Program implemented at BOC Gases, a mental health program by workers, for workers.
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Millions of Australians have a chronic illness. So why aren’t employers accommodating them?
More than 20 million Australians have at least one long-term health condition, 63% of whom are in the workforce. Research found that 73% of people believed their chronic illness was at least partially caused or worsened by their job. So what are employers getting so wrong? And what are the solutions to improving working conditions for people with chronic illnesses?
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Steering Healthy Minds — a peer support program to prevent mental illness in the transport sector
An industry peer support program to prevent mental injury is driving change in the transport industry.
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Webinar recording — Eliminating psychosocial risks
Jacqueline Agius, the ACT’s WHS Commissioner, talks about what psychosocial hazards are, the impact they have on workers and others and how workplaces can manage the associated risks.
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Webinar recording — Translating Employer Insights
Megan Buick, General Manager of the Strategic Partnerships and Engagement Group at Comcare talks about the challenges employers experience in supporting work participation and provides resources to help meet their needs.
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Webinar recording — A WISE approach to injury management in emergency services
Hear from a team of people who adapted the WISE protocol to suit emergency services and increase support to firefighters with high-complexity injuries.
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A WISE adaptation of a success story — Australia Post’s Early Matched Care Program (Part 2)
Melanie Ianssen, Head of Rehabilitation at Australia Post, describes how that organisation adapted the WISE study to improve RTW outcomes for their injured workers. What were the results?
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A WISE adaptation of a success story — Australia Post’s Early Matched Care Program (Part 1)
Melanie Ianssen, Head of Rehabilitation at Australia Post, describes how that organisation adapted the WISE study to improve RTW outcomes for their injured workers.
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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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Webinar recording — Reducing incidences of violence and aggression against aged care workers
Tatjana Jokic talks us through the aims, implementation and outcomes of a successful pilot program to reduce the incidence of violence and aggression towards care workers.
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IRRI-sistable (Part 1) — WorkCover Queensland’s Injury Risk Reduction Initiatives improve outcomes for all
RTW practices are a team sport. WorkCover Queensland’s Injury Risk Reduction Initiatives show what can be done when injury scheme players work collaboratively to reduce the barriers to recovery and RTW.
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‘Workers’ what?’ Information about workers’ compensation falls short
What do we know about how workers access, understand and engage with information about workers compensation, return to work and health literacy? A recent report commissioned by Safe Work Australia sheds light on this.
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RTW: from research to practice. The ‘know-do gap’ through a complex systems lens
In our ongoing quest to find ways to translate research into practice in our work injury schemes, we ask ‘What we can learn from complexity thinking?
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RTW: from policy to practice. How to make change happen
The 'It Pays to Care' report calls for change in our work injury schemes, but recognises that change is hard, even when we know what we need to do. One model that looks at ‘organisational readiness for change’ may help us.
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Webinar recording - WorkWell: Preventing mental injury and promoting mental health
In this webinar, Jennifer Fry, Director of WorkWell at WorkSafe Victoria, shares free tools and resources to help you build a positive and mentally healthy workplace.
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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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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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Healthy Minds, Healthy Workplaces
Comcare and Beyond Blue demonstrate benefits of low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy at work.
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Mates in Construction builds better mental health
“We called 52 industry leaders together at a national level in Sydney and essentially asked, are we happy being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff or do we look at what we can do further upstream?”
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Webinar recording: Automated Manual Handling Risk Assessments: a benefit or a distraction?
Presented by David Bick of JointAction Solutions along with Michael Lawrence and Roscoe McCord during question time, this webinar asks whether automated risk assessment technology is faster, more accurate and more reliable than checklist-in-hand approache
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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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Investigation: Mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness are often conflated but they’re not the same. We clarify the muddy waters, then dive into the research on potential benefits and risks of mindfulness-based interventions in RTW and workers’ comp.
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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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Webinar recording: Work-related psychological health and safety matters.
Meeting your duties under the work health and safety laws.
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Webinar recording: How to develop a first class provider network
James Fletcher discusses a framework for building a quality provider network
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Webinar recording: Working with a Company Doctor - A Unique Medical Discipline
Dr James Crompton discusses the role of the company doctor, including employer expectations, limitations and how they can help.
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Intro to PEMAs - pre-employment medical assessments
What is a PEMA? What can - and can't - be achieved with this earliest of early interventions?
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Jury still out on mindfulness at work
If you believe the hype, mindfulness can work miracles in the workplace. What do researchers actually know about the benefits of mindfulness for organisations?
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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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Workplace MSDs: Neck, arm, hand interventions rated
Working out at work can prevent common musculoskeletal disorders of the neck, arm and hand. Find out which other interventions make the grade and which fail to deliver according to a 2016 research review from the Institute for Work and Health.
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Can you ‘teach’ workers to be more emotionally resilient?
You may know someone like this at work: optimistic and resilient, they appear to bounce through challenges drawing on an internal strength that helps them work through problems they encounter at work.
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Bus Wellness Guides 3: Ideas and Resources
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Bus Wellness Guide 1: advice for operators and leaders
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Webinar recording: Improve mental health in your workplace
An introduction to the Workplace Alliance and Beyondblue's workplace mental health initiative
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Speaking Up 3: Staff speaking up
As an employee, it's often seen as easier to keep quiet, but the reality is that you need to speak up.
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Speaking Up 1: The Benefits of Open Communication
Open communication in the workplace is sign of a positive workplace culture.
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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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Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Fatigue
Fatigue is often the result of a lack of sleep, prolonged mental or physical work, or lengthy periods of stress or anxiety. Sound familiar?
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Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Fitness
Fitness lowers the risk of injury and aids recovery, but 71% of the Australian working population aren't getting enough exercise.
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Psychological Cases: prevention is better than the cure
The workplace is a social environment. For many, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of their job. For others, depending on the workplace, the negative impacts on their psychology can be enormous.
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Workplace Nonchalance: who cares?
Nonchalant employees are not unhappy. They're not disgruntled. They’re people who show up day after day and go through the motions.
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Workplace Incivility: where are your manners?
Incivility is being rude, discourteous and showing a lack of regard for others. The behaviour harms the target, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It may also occur in the cyberspace, such as not replying to email or sending terse emails.
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Webinar Recording: The nuts and bolts of work oriented treatment
Gain an understanding of the practical aspects of Work Oriented Treatment for workers experiencing psychological injury.
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Webinar Recording: Improving RTW Outcomes - the Strategic Impact of Work Oriented Treatment Part 1
Gain an understanding of the strategic impact of Work Oriented Treatment for workers experiencing psychological injury.
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Mental Health: developing an action plan for your workplace - part 1
An estimated one in five employees will be impacted by a mental health condition at any one time in Australia.
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Case Study: I Told Them but They Didn't Listen
Ms L is a right handed 46 year old who was employed for ten years to pack domestic cleaning chemicals. She was exposed to these chemicals in dust form.
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Role Summary: Psychologist
Psychology is the study of the mind and associated behaviours. A psychologist's focus may be on either individuals or groups.
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Webinar Recording: Employers taking the lead role
In this webinar Kerry Foster, Director of Active Occupational Health Services, will discuss the importance of the employer’s involvement in the return to work.
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RTW and the workplace: Reciprocity rules Part 2
Results from the national Return to Work Survey show the strength and consistency of workplace influence on employee RTW
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Webinar Recording: Participatory Ergonomics & Manual Handling
This presentation will discuss how “Participatory Ergonomic” principles can be considered and implemented to increase workplace involvement in effectively controlling manual handling risks.
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eLearning: Musculoskeletal troubles
Understanding the difficulties everyone faces with musculoskeletal problems can help you help workers
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Mental health at work, Steps to get there
An interview with Ingid Ozols, director of mh@work, exploring how mental health can be improved through the introduction of workplace programs.
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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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Getting RTW buy-in
Seasoned return to work professional Joanne Taranto explains the basis of a great RTW program.
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Video presentation: Participatory ergonomics
Combining ergonomics WITH participation opens up a treasure load of possible solutions.
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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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Job Rotation - 3
Implementing job rotation.
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Job Rotation - 2
Overcome the common barriers and ensure employee buy-in.
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Job Rotation - 1
Want to boost productivity, improve job satisfaction and reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries?
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How do I find meaningful alternate duties?
Here we respond to a common RTW Coordinator question.
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The age of manual handling
Qantas at Brisbane Airport safely retains older manual handling workers by asking whether there is a match between required tasks and individual capacity...
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Outside the city, outside the square
In a close-knit rural community, one RTWC's resourceful approach transforms a movement-limiting spinal injury into a business and career opportunity.
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New vision for old
The ageing workforce may necessitate more accommodations for vision loss. What are the high and low tech options?
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Designer jobs
Does job design affect health and performance in the workplace? And if so, how can jobs be redesigned to improve both?
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What helps people with long-term disease remain at work?
Making work modifications for workers with a long-term disease can help them avoid sickness absence and work disability, and improve their productivity.
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What's with 'That Department'?
Want something done at work? It helps to know what and who you're working with. Start by asking yourself these questions...
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How to win change and influence people
A change is as good as a holiday, right? Time to implement change where it's needed.
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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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Employees tough to budge on workplace health?
Dr Steve Beller says 'Joy of living' is a much more powerful motivator than 'fear of illness and death'.
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The Stress Series Part 3 - Prevention programs in the workplace
Employers can take action to beat the problem of stress before it even arises. This article looks at the benefits of stress prevention programs.
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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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Jos Verbeek on The Cochrane Occupational Health Field
The Cochrane Occupational Health Field gathers evidence on the effectiveness of occupational health interventions and publishes reviews. RTW Matters spoke with Coordinator Jos Verbeek.
Archived Articles 1 - 5 of 5
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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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Back on Course
Horse-racing may be the sport of kings, but the humble jockey often pays the cost. What are the RTW processes and options for injured jockeys?
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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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Health intervention gets outta town!
At 10 000 steps a day, healthy creativity goes a LONG way...
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Work-related musculoskeletal disorders
Of all Australian work-related injuries, a large percentage can be categorised as musculoskeletal disorders.
Research 1 - 49 of 49
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Help me if you can, I’m feeling down — addressing mental health at work
Interventions for mental health issues must address the individual, organisational and systemic factors that support people to seek help.
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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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Culture not trauma — a new approach to identifying and preventing mental harm in first responders: Part 2
A study highlights the importance of addressing ‘moral injury’, organisational practices and psychosocial safety to promote the well-being of first responders and prevent psychological harm.
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‘This is so unfair’. Preventing perceptions of injustice after a work injury.
A sense of injustice is common among injured workers and can prolong their suffering. What causes it? And how can we prevent it?
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Culture not trauma — a new approach to identifying and preventing mental harm in first responders (Part 1)
A study suggests it’s time for a rethink on what causes distress in first responders and how to prevent and treat it.
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Checking the benefits of workplace mental health screening
A study suggests that workplace mental health screening programs on their own may not be very effective in improving employee mental health.
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A Wysa approach to recovery from work-related injury
A study of an AI drive app shows that digital psychosocial interventions can improve recovery for people with work-related injuries.
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Job demands as psychosocial hazards — reducing the risks through the power of nature and virtual reality
A study suggests that taking a break, getting some exercise and spending time in nature — either in reality or virtually — can help to control the psychosocial risks associated with job demands.
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The 'wicked' problem of addressing psychosocial hazards — lessons from abroad
What makes it so hard to effectively assess and implement measures to address psychosocial hazards in the workplace? A study offers insights into the challenges and barriers and how to overcome them.
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‘Manage at Work’ — a worksite self-management program boosts engagement and retention
A worksite self-management program that used a group psycho-education format helped workers with persistent or chronic health conditions stay engaged and on the job.
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Spark joy to stay safe at work
Leaders’ behaviours can influence employees — and also prevent workplace injuries — through ‘emotional contagion’. Here’s how.
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What aspects of work cause MSDs for professional drivers?
Interventions for work-related MSDs should not be based merely on addressing the symptoms, but must also focus in managing the physical and psychosocial risk factors behind the injury.
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An evidence-based system for occupational mental health interventions
Covering risk assessment, implementation, RTW, EAPs and post-implementation quality improvement, this comprehensive guide from Canada’s Work Wellness Institute draws on research evidence and stakeholder consultation.
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Workplace interventions to prevent sedentary pain
Are inflating and deflating “smart seats” the cure for back and neck pain amongst sedentary office workers? Or are active breaks a better bet?
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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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Comparing LBP prevention approaches
Fixing the workplace or fixing the person: which is a more effective way to prevent lower back pain?
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A new look at depression and RTW
Clinical treatment combined with workplace changes is the most promising approach for improving RTW for people with depression, but improved healthcare offers benefits too.
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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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Clearing the air at work
Can workplace interventions ease occupational asthma? Are there benefits to reducing risk factors at work, or is eliminating exposure the only safe bet?
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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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Targeted learning eases job strain in the ICU
A 5-day intervention for ICU nurses in France establishes that individual workers can learn to cope better with stressful and demanding work.
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Interventions with workplace contact reduce stress absence
Contact with the workplace has proven benefits for workers with stress, depression and other common mental health conditions, especially when part of a multi-component workplace intervention.
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Hospital, union collaborate on good RTW medicine
Employer, union collaboration on disability management policy and RTW planning leads to 50% drop in time lost to injury at a large Canadian healthcare organisation.
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Works often but not always: a closer look at participatory ergonomics
Not all participatory ergonomics programs are created equal, Professor Robin Burgess-Limerick tells RTWMatters. So what works, and what doesn’t?
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RTW intervention supergroup
International research says workplace interventions work best when they tick multiple boxes: focusing on health, service coordination AND work modification.
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Supervisor training wasted without support from the top?
Before your organisation invests in supervisor training, ask whether the organisational culture reinforces or contradicts the lessons you think supervisors need to learn.
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Preventing chronic MSDs
The right kind of vocational rehabilitation can stave off the transition to chronic disability. What influences the success of vocational rehabilitation programs for workers with long-term musculoskeletal disorders?
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Research short: Can yoga ease workplace stress?
A UK study has concluded that regular yoga can improve workplace wellbeing and reduce employee stress.
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Want less sick leave?
The evidence says you should improve workplace culture, clearly define roles and put better support mechanisms in place for workers who perform emotionally demanding labour.
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Research short: Is integrated care value for $?
A European study of an integrated care program for workers with long term back problems shows a return of $26 for every $1 invested.
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Research short: Armed against arm pain
Reducing repetitive work is not the only option to consider when attempting to accommodate arm pain in the workplace.
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What helps RTW for people with chronic pain?
Surveys can help identify factors that will improve RTW.
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Supervising recovery
Employer response to injury impacts employee recovery. This study identifies where employers go wrong and how to fix it!
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Improving disability management in the workplace
What works when designing disability management programs in the workplace?
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Mismanaging depression
What are the barriers to effective management of depression in the workplace?
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Does safety education save backs?
Can workplace back safety education programs reduce the risk of back injuries and complications?
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Which workers are more likely to experience depression?
And the causes.
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Powerful partnerships
The evidence is in: when employers join workers on the RTW journey, the sky's the limit!
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Success with systems at work for shoulders
Shoulder problems are common. Having a standard management system in place can streamline return to work.
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RTW interventions assessed
A mixed bag of workplace interventions have been trialled over the last 20 years. What works?
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Workplace intervention VS clinical intervention
In this battle of the lower back pain heavyweights, who comes out on top and why?
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Preventing unnecessary disability
An overview of the complex factors influencing the return to work of sick and injured workers, and recommendations as to return to work strategies can be improved.
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Empowering employers to fight depression
A short guide to depression busting in the workplace
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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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The business of depression
There is a good business case for educating your workforce about depression
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Depression, anxiety, fatigue: the unproductive trinity
Productivity suffers when workers are depressed - but are some depressed workers more prone to productivity loss than others?
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Employer flexibility helps cancer survivors return to work
Returning to work after cancer treatment is difficult, but employers can make a difference.
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Employee input into improving their work environment: just the prescription for treating sick leave absences
An 'organisational rehabilitation' program that identified and addressed employees' concerns with their work environment resulted in a substantial reduction in sick leave absences and the associated costs.