Improve Employee Return to Work Outcomes and Reduce Costs in your Workplace... Starting Today!
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How one company turned 13 workers' compensation claims into two..A workplace of over 600 employees, 60 sites, a predominantly mobile workforce and a list of challenges to overcome longer than your arm... The workers’ comp manager of a leading building materials company discusses the steps she took to move her organisation from an expensive and compensation focused culture to an integrated team approach. And the enormous cost savings that occurred as a result.>>more
Top ten ways to reduce sick leave.. Enormous amounts of time and money are spent trying to reduce work absence. Often without effect. Gabrielle Lis looks at ten simple to implement approaches that have immediate impact on sick leave and work absence. .>>more
I'm a RTW Coordinator and my work won't listen to me!.. Management unfamiliar with the benefits of good return to work practice aren’t as hard to convince as you may believe. Thinking and communicating from their point of view will help your cause. RTW Matters looks at the approaches you can take to persuade others that good return to work management is worth the effort..>>more
DOWNLOADIdentifying high risk casesMost people deal with their health problem and remain at work or return to work quickly. A small but significant number don't. They suffer, and so does the workplace. The factors often associated with increased work disability are included in this downloadable checklist. Complete for some or all of your cases. High risk cases need more focus and support, and may need different approaches to achieve a good outcome..>>more
Our top ten tips to improve RTW outcomes“Your style of communication needs to assure the worker that they are supported, that you are genuinely interested and that you take their situation seriously.” Get back to basics, with this RTW management checklist collated by Cheryl Griffiths. .>>more
DOWNLOAD Return to work presentation for supervisors and managers.The landmark Michigan study on work disability found senior management involvement was a common element in organisations that had low levels of work absence. This downloadable Powerpoint guides a coordinator in presenting to managers to engage them in their role. Your organisation’s logo can be added, slides can be modified..>>more
Garbielle Lis and Tom Barton | Ever wondered what RTW and sabre-toothed tigers have in common? Or why some people bounce back quicker than others from stressful situations?
The Electrical Trades Union is pushing for a four-day week for 12,000 of its workers, in a bid at improving work-life balance, The Age reports. The plan involves adding an extra hour to each shift and reducing the working fortnight from a nine-day fortnight of eight-hour shifts, to an eight-day fortnight comprised of nine-hour shifts. State secretary Dean Mighell said, "We think it's now time that we looked at work-life balance more closely," citing greater family time as a central reason. CEO of National Electrical and Communications Association, Philip Green, said, "(this) is just beyond comprehension...In the construction industry I don't think it would work at all."
A government-funded Monash University study of 600 large organisations has found new evidence to challenge the common assumption that employers do not want to hire older people, The Age reports. The study found that many employers would prefer to hire somebody over the age of 55, compared with a younger worker from overseas. 50 per cent of public-sector employers and 40 per cent of private-sector employees were found to prefer older aged recruits in the current climate of economic downturn. Professor Phillip Taylor said, "I've been involved in surveying employer attitudes since 1991 and this is the first time I've seen such a willingness to employ older workers."
A director and company have been fined nearly $200,000 over the 'preventable' death of one of it's workers, reports The Age. Employee Lance Mathrick's foot was run over by a reversing forklift, which caused him to fall backwards and hit the back of his head. Mathrick repeatedly resisted advice of medical attention, instead resting and then returning to work. Later that day the director's wife noticed blood coming from Mathrick's nose and called a doctor. He was then taken to hospital where he died.
Staff at the Women and Children's Hospital in Adelaide will lose access to familiar in-house cousellors who have operated for 40 years, and will instead have to phone unknown outsourced social workers and psychologists for support, Adelaide Now reports. "For anybody in the health service to deal with death and illness, the whole degree of trauma can be quite significant," said Public Service Association general secretary Jan McMahon. ANF state secretary Elizabeth Dabars said, "We want nurses and midwives to access support thern and there, not by somebody who is available via the phone." We wonder if this will have an impact on stress claims...
The Public Service Association of NSW is negotiating with the University of NSW to grant workers suffering from domestic violence an extra 20 days of paid leave per year, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The historic enterprise agreement will also have a clause to prevent employers from firing workers whose attendance or performance suffers because of the psychological effects of domestic violence. The Public Service Union is also negotiating with NSW Premier Kristina Keneally for inclusion of the proposed domestic violence provisions in 300,000 public servants enterprise agreements.
New research published in The Journal of Pain (The Amerian Pain Society) has found that while acute exercise initially exacerbates pain, regular exercise is vital to relieving long-term pain symptoms for patients suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP), Medical News Today reports. The study suggests that it was important for clinicians to encourage regular exercise for CMP patients despite the fact that they may increase pain in the short-term.
DOWNLOAD Injury immediate response toolkit.. A poor response to
the initial injury report sets up a problem claim. Consistent and positive initial responses provide one of the best opportunities to improve injury management. Yet many organisations still fail to tackle they way front line managers deal with injury reports. Get your initial response in shape with the editable 8 page toolkit for supervisors to give to employees at first injury report. Includes What to do if you are injured, Letter to treating doctor, Taking charge of your recovery and return to work, Incident report form..>>more
Top ten tips for dealing with the Doc.. The most common problems our readers report is the challenge of dealing with the doctor. There are plenty of strategies to build an effective relationship with the doctor. Dr Mary Wyatt and Gabrielle Lis we outline ten approaches..>>more
An open letter to the Heads of Australian Workers' Compensation AuthoritiesProcess over people kills - work injuries result in poorer outcomes, and process demoralises those who work in the field. Our resident Grrrer Robert Hughes writes to those responsible for policy about using approaches from other fields to revitalise the industry and get better outcomes. .>>more
Top ten easy steps for improving workplace culture.The better the working environment, the more likely people are to want to be in it. Improving workplace culture is an indirect, but very effective way, to improve return to work rates. But it’s not just about talking the talk; in this “top ten” we look at how to walk the walk..>>more
Great return to work practice is good for business! What's in it for you?
employees, 60 sites, a predominantly mobile workforce and a list of challenges to overcome longer than your arm... The workers’ comp manager of a leading building materials company discusses the steps she took to move her organisation from an expensive and compensation focused culture to an integrated team approach. And the enormous cost savings that occurred as a result.
unfamiliar with the benefits of good return to work practice aren’t as hard to convince as you may believe. Thinking and communicating from their point of view will help your cause. RTW Matters looks at the approaches you can take to persuade others that good return to work management is worth the effort.
on work disability found senior management involvement was a common element in organisations that had low levels of work absence. This downloadable Powerpoint guides a coordinator in presenting to managers to engage them in their role. Your organisation’s logo can be added, slides can be modified..
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