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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
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
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
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
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
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
Gabrielle Lis | 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?
Gabrielle Lis | An Italian entrepreneur has turned the Umbrian village of Solomeo into both a fashion factory, and an extraordinary experiment in workplace health and wellbeing.
Dr Mary Wyatt | Getting the information you need to facilitate RTW shouldn't be as painful as pulling teeth--you just need to get zen and ask the right questions...
A two-year inquiry into WorkCover has recommended that it stop charging fees to companies that leave the scheme to become self-insurers, Adelaide Now reports. This could save self-insurers up to $7 million a year, but members of Parliament's Statuatory Authorities Review committee are divided, with Liberals supporting the cuts and Labor opposing them. Other recommendations by the report include: allowing two or three companies to manage claims (thereby reducing the monopoly had by current companies); forced reporting by Workcover of the level of savings achieved by having only one claims manager; and an independent review of WorkCover's performance (including the board).
Prime minister Julia Gillard has announced that a Labor government will spend $277 million on suicide crisis intervention, suicide prevention programs, phone counselling and respite care for carers, ABC News reports. Gillard stated that the potential five-to 10-year mental health plan "will be a second term priority for the Government," providing 12,500 Australians at most risk of suicide with access to counselling services and daily assistance. Men with depression would be targeted by a better-funded Beyond Blue organisation, while Lifeline would be able to accept calls from mobile phones. Back when Rudd's top mental health advisor Prof John Mendoza quit, Tony Abbott promised $1.5b to fund psychosis intervention centres, acute care beds and youth centre programs.
Despite three decades of protective legislation for pregnant and new mothers, Victoria's Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission are taking "many calls from women who are pushed into different roles or have their hours cut against their will," ABC News reports. Victorian Equal Opportunity Commissioner Dr Helen Szoke reinstates the message to employers that, "businesses lose time when they have to respond to discrimination complaints," which often result in a financial settlement. She warned that companies can easily damage their reputation to existing and future employees if they don't treat pregnant women with respect. "It really makes business sense not to discriminate," Dr Szoke said.
"The NSW Ambulance Service's failure to consider another way of dealing with a psychologically disturbed individual was ''a major shortcoming'', The Sydney Morning Herald reports. Employee Trent Speering was suspended for workplace bullying in 2008 and later shot himself and his mother. According to investigating psychiatrist Michael Diamond, Speering showed signs of paranoid personality disorder as early as 2000. While cheif executive Greg Rochford denied that there was enough evidence to suggest mental illness, Diamond said, "The entire process (of suspension) worsened his already established impaired mental state.''
A new study has found that obese employees cost an additional US$460 to $2,500 annually, through work absences and extra medical costs, Medical News Today reports. The report, published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, tracked over 20,000 full-time workers aged between 18 and 64. They found that obesity costs companies with over 1,000 employees a total of US$285,000 per year. Researchers commented that a more "concentrated effort" would be required to combat the problem, compated to mere "workplace wellness programs (that) aren't going to have much effect on people who are already 100-plus pounds overweight."
Gimme a break! 39% of employers' prime aim is to foster a highly productive team, while maximum productivity per head count is a priority for 31% of bosses. On the other hand, nearly half of all employees admit to feeling stressed at work. These highlights are from the insurer's annual Health of the Workplace survey. The good news is that many employers recognize the need to focus on employees' well-being and admit they could do more to improve a balance with staff's work/life. Last month, research by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy highlighted that bad habits such as not taking sufficient breaks can be damaging to workers' health.
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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