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Information of interest to our Clients and for the industry

Guide to employer obligations around poor air quality
Guide to employer obligations around poor air quality
The devastating bushfires around Australia are not only significantly impacting communities across the country, but should be an important reminder …

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Tagged With: air quality guidelines, working in poor air quality,
Case Study: when a pre-employment medical can put you at risk of discrimination claims
Case Study: when a pre-employment medical can put you at risk of discrimination claims
When hiring new employees, employers often put themselves at risk of discrimination, either advertently or inadvertently and despite the best …

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1,300 views
Tagged With: discrimination, fit for work, pre-employment medical,
How Employers can Avoid 5 Big Mistakes when Drug and Alcohol Testing
How Employers can Avoid 5 Big Mistakes when Drug and Alcohol Testing
We’ve previously covered the biggest pitfalls in workplace drug and alcohol testing policies, but even when your Drug and Alcohol …

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357 views
Tagged With: alcohol testing, drug testing, drugs and alcohol at work,
Reinstated after Unfair Dismissal: what you could be at risk of this silly-season
Reinstated after Unfair Dismissal: what you could be at risk of this silly-season
They don’t call it the ‘silly-season’ for nothing; employees get too drunk, verbally abuse their boss, kiss their colleagues uninvited, …

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283 views
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Not always a Merry Christmas: Christmas and Mental Health
Not always a Merry Christmas: Christmas and Mental Health
Christmas is usually a happy time of year. But it’s also a busy time of year and can be especially …

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Reducing the Risk at Christmas: Considerations when planning the work Christmas party
Reducing the Risk at Christmas: Considerations when planning the work Christmas party
Most employees have a story about a time when they’ve had too much to drink, gotten a little too confident …

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264 views
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6 things employers should know about the workers comp system
6 things employers should know about the workers comp system
No matter the industry, business size or insurance type, all employers have an obligation to support any person who is …

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469 views
Tagged With: workers compensation,
When performance reviews result in bullying and harassment claims, and how to avoid them
When performance reviews result in bullying and harassment claims, and how to avoid them
Reasonable performance management of staff, conducted in a rational and constructive manner is not workplace bullying. Unfortunately however, for many …

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183 views
Tagged With: bullying, harrassment, performance review,
Why work is the best treatment for injury recovery
Why work is the best treatment for injury recovery
The statistics are proof: work, wellbeing and general health are mutually beneficial. But a common belief among injured workers (and …

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363 views
Tagged With: injury recovery, return to work, work and worklessness,
The common problem with a positive drug and alcohol test which no one talks about
The common problem with a positive drug and alcohol test which no one talks about
In light of October being Mental Health Awareness Month in New South Wales, we thought we’d shed some light on …

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407 views
Tagged With: drug and alcohol in the workplace, drug and alcohol policies and procedures, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
Steps to preventing psychological injuries in the workplace
Steps to preventing psychological injuries in the workplace
Approximately $543 million is paid in workers’ compensation claims for work-related mental health conditions each year in Australia, comprising nearly …

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448 views
Tagged With: anxiety, depression, psychological injury, returning to work after injury,
How to promote corporate wellness when it’s not your primary role
How to promote corporate wellness when it’s not your primary role
It’s a pretty straight-forward formula: healthier employees = higher productivity + less sick days + reduced stress + better morale. …

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372 views
Tagged With: Corporate Health Programs, Corporate Wellness, Fitness at Work,
What to do if an employee says ‘no’ this R U OK? Day
What to do if an employee says ‘no’ this R U OK? Day
R U OK? Day is a powerful mental health awareness initiative which encourages and empowers people to have conversations with …

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338 views
Tagged With: mental health, Mental Health at Work, R U OK? Day,
Case Study: When altering your reactions can affect RTW outcomes
Case Study: When altering your reactions can affect RTW outcomes
At Work Options we see many situations where a worker submits a claim for an injury at work, and doesn’t …

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221 views
Tagged With: Mental Health at Work, psychological injury, return to work,
Understanding How Psychosocial Barriers to Pain Affect RTW Outcomes
Understanding How Psychosocial Barriers to Pain Affect RTW Outcomes
Have you ever been for a routine chiropractic appointment and met with, ‘Oh wow, you’re back is really out of …

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614 views
Tagged With: Injury Prevention, mental health, psychological injury, return to work,
Why F4W Assessments are Critical in Recruitment
Why F4W Assessments are Critical in Recruitment
Our Senior Injury Management Specialist Diana Hurst takes you through the difference between Fitness for Work Assessments and a standard …

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295 views
Tagged With: fitness for work assessment, Recruitment Process,
5 Common Workers Comp Questions Answered
5 Common Workers Comp Questions Answered
Our Senior Injury Management Specialist Diana Hurst guides you through our most common questions regarding Workers Compensation claims.
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449 views
Tagged With: return to work, workers compensation,
When stress in the workplace becomes a bigger issue
When stress in the workplace becomes a bigger issue
There’s no doubt that we’ve all experienced a high level of stress at some point in our working life. For …

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269 views
Tagged With: Burnout, mental health, Stress, Stress at Work, work wellbeing,
Why work-life balance is so important for injury prevention and tips on how to do it
Why work-life balance is so important for injury prevention and tips on how to do it
It’s pretty obvious that having a healthy work-life balance is good for mental health and stimulation, but new research shows …

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158 views
Tagged With: Injury Prevention, work-life balance,
Is burnout costing your business? Here’s what to do about it.
Is burnout costing your business? Here’s what to do about it.
Picture this… you’re the GM or CEO of a booming commercial company; you’re well connected and well respected within the …

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570 views
Tagged With: Acute Stress, Burnout, Health and Wellbeing, mental health, Stress at Work, Workplace Health and Safety,
The importance of critical incident debriefing in preventing psychological injuries
The importance of critical incident debriefing in preventing psychological injuries
SafeWork NSW has recently circulated information highlighting the risk of crush injuries, as a result of two fatal incidents where …

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1,094 views
Tagged With: Acute Stress, Critical Incident at Work, Critical Incident Management Tools, Critical Incident Reporting, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychological Injuries, Psychological Injuries at Work, PTSD,
Common Injury Management Mistakes Guaranteed to Rise Insurance Premiums
Common Injury Management Mistakes Guaranteed to Rise Insurance Premiums
As an employer, you have a lot on your mind when a worker gets injured… I’m not going to meet …

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284 views
Tagged With: Injury at Work, Insurance Premiums, Managing Return to Work After Injury, Workers Comp Insurance, Workers Compensation Claim,
Workplace Health and Safety Policies: employer versus employee responsibilities
Workplace Health and Safety Policies: employer versus employee responsibilities
It is a common misconception that maintaining a safe workplace and reducing hazards lies solely with the employer… but it’s …

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1,368 views
Tagged With: Employee Safety Responsibilities, Employer Safety Responsibilities, Injury Prevention, Safety at Work, WHS Policies and Procedures, Workplace Health and Safety,
An Employee Assistance Program Story
An Employee Assistance Program Story
Sarah* was into her third year working for a major Australian news publisher, was head of a small team and …

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308 views
Tagged With: EAP, Employee Assistance Program, mental health, Mental Health at Work,
The Role of an EAP in Improving Staff Performance
The Role of an EAP in Improving Staff Performance
When we talk about poor mental health, it’s easy to think of personal problems like family and relationship issues, financial …

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679 views
Tagged With: EAP, Employee Assistance Program, mental health, Positive Mental Wellbeing, workplace health,
The Latest Drug Trends from NDARC
The Latest Drug Trends from NDARC
Drug and alcohol use at work is becoming more prevalent than ever, with a staggering number of related workplace accidents …

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208 views
Tagged With: alcohol in the workplace, drugs and alcohol, drugs in the workplace,
Unfairly Dismissed for Drunkenness at Work?
Unfairly Dismissed for Drunkenness at Work?
Have you heard about the Cannon versus Poultry Harvesting case? Here’s a bit of background. Ms Cannon was employed by …

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148 views
Tagged With: drug and alcohol testing, drunk at work, workplace drug and alcohol testing,
The biggest pitfalls in workplace drug and alcohol testing policies
The biggest pitfalls in workplace drug and alcohol testing policies
The statistics on drugs and alcohol use in Australian workplaces are alarming – a staggering 25% of work accidents involve …

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569 views
Tagged With: drug and alcohol policies, drug and alcohol use, drugs and alcohol in the workplace, workplace drug use,
A simple guide to talking to employees about mental health
A simple guide to talking to employees about mental health
Responsibilities at work may not always be the sole cause for poor metal health, but for some people, workload and …

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446 views
Tagged With: mental health, mental wellbeing at work, positive mental health, positive mental health at work, tips for mindfulness, tips for positive mental health, workplace health, workplace mental health,
Medicals vs. Fitness for Work Assessments (F4W©) and why they’re important for your business
Medicals vs. Fitness for Work Assessments (F4W©) and why they’re important for your business
“…fitting a square peg into a round hole is not only difficult, but damages either the peg or the hole” …

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279 views
Tagged With: cost of fit for work assessment, fit to work, fitness for work assessment, medical screening, pre-employment medical, workplace medical,