These ten tips for RRTWCs (Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinators), reproduced with permission from Q-Comp, draw on the collective experiences of people who’ve made a real difference in their workplace, and in the lives of the injured and ill workers who come their way.

Ranging from pointers about managing accident investigations, to tips about preparing workers for conversations with doctors about suitable duties, the advice is always practical, empathetic and pragmatic. These are professionals well worth listening to, so without further ado...

1. Wherever possible, help the worker to return to work in some capacity to prevent them feeling isolated and alone. Start off by helping them to come into the workplace and have weekly coffees with their manager and attend team meetings so they continue to feel involved in the business.
2. Actively involve the injured worker in the accident investigation process, including the identification and development of appropriate control measures. This reassures the worker that the employer is serious about safety and makes them more likely to be motivated to return to work.
3. Interview co-workers who have experienced the RRTWC process for feedback on what could be improved or developed. Talk to them about capacity not incapacity and ability not disability.
4. Provide all staff with a simple flowchart of the return to work process, provide contact numbers for their wallets and add information to your intranet if possible.
5. Create an injured worker claim pack that contains an Injured Worker Authority, a fact sheet about rehabilitation and return to work, a letter to their treating doctor and a suitable duties program with potential suitable duties listed.  
6. Involve your managers and executives in round table discussions with the injured worker and RRTWC to encourage participation and greater understanding by management of return to work.
7. Don’t assume workers have understood or remembered information about the rehabilitation and return to work process. Regularly check in with them and provide clarification where needed. Ensure these conversations are recounted by managers at management meetings and record and action issues identified.
8. It is vital to actively assist treating doctors to understand and identify opportunities within the workplace to safely enhance return to work solutions and build their confidence in the return to work program.
9. If possible, don’t send an injured worker to meet a treating doctor unsupported and alone. (Ensure the worker is comfortable with your attendance and gain their written consent.)
10. Don’t expect injured workers to have the confidence and presence of mind in the doctor’s office to assertively explain what suitable duties exist in their workplace. Give them a customised list of suitable duties to take with them to the treating doctor.

Thanks to Q-Comp, and to the Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinators of Queensland.