Free forum to improve return to work outcomes

A free workshop aimed at providing employers with the tools and tips they need to help keep injured workers motivated during the return to work process will be held at WorkSafe Victoria’s head office - 222 Exhibition Street, Melbourne on 15 March from 2 to 4 pm.

The two-hour workshop will focus on the importance of having positive communication skills when dealing with injured workers to help improve return to work outcomes.

The workshop will be presented by the Managing Director of AP Psychology and Consulting Services, Arthur Papagiannis - a registered psychologist with extensive experience in developing psychological workplace solutions for organisations.

Real-life stories on challenging cases that have reached successful results will also form part of the workshop. WorkSafe’s statistics show around 29,000 Victorian workers suffer work-related injuries each year. Of those, 3000 remain out of the workforce for more than six months.

“Helping an injured worker to return to safe, sustainable work sooner - even if it’s on reduced hours and modified or alternative duties - can achieve a better return to work outcome in the long term,” said WorkSafe’s Return to Work project manager Danielle Jacobs.

“It also helps the business maintain productivity and keep the cost of WorkSafe premiums down.”

Jacobs said a recent employer performance analysis revealed employers who attended the WorkSafe return to work coordinator events on average achieved better return to work outcomes than those who didn’t attend.

Employers are encouraged to register to the event by clicking on the ‘workshops and events section’ at: www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/rtw.