Guide

New resources for RTW Coordinators

Workers compensation provides a safety net for workers injured in the course of their employment, and employers play a crucial role in supporting injured workers return to work or stay at work while they recover.

Employers are obliged to appoint a Return to Work (RTW) Coordinator as per the relevant state legislative requirements to support both the employer and injured workers. The role of RTW Coordinators is vital to achieving positive outcomes for injured employees and includes:

  • implementing an organisation’s return to work program/information
  • preparing recovery and return to work plans
  • coordinating with medical specialists
  • checking on the worker’s recovery and their ability to return to work
  • monitoring the safety of job tasks when an injured employee returns to work
  • explaining the rights and obligations of injured workers to both the worker and employer.

We have a range of training, tools, coaching and a new collection of resources designed to support the important role that RTW Coordinators play in helping workers recover from injury and get back to work sooner.

Supporting RTW Coordinators

Training

EML offers a wide range of face-to-face and virtual training through our employer event program which are free for EML customers. We have also recently released the following online courses through EMlearning which coordinators may find helpful:

Videos

Managing workers insurance and personal injury claims can be challenging, so we’ve developed four helpful videos to assist in understanding your role in implementing your organisation’s return to work plan and supporting a worker’s recovery and return to work.

Identifying suitable duties in the workplace

If your worker is unable to resume their full duties, your role as the employer is to provide suitable duties and to assist them to return to work.

Providing suitable duties is an effective way to support your worker with their recovery and rehabilitation as it keeps them active and engaged with the workplace. It also minimizes time off from work and can help protect your business against rising insurance premiums.

Offering suitable duties is an effective way to aid a worker’s recovery and rehabilitation, by keeping them active and involved in the workplace. This approach reduces their time away from work, helps maintain business productivity, and can help protect your business from increasing insurance premiums. Once suitable duties have been identified in consultation with the key stakeholders, it is important to document these in a return to work plan to ensure a safe, timely and sustainable return for the injured worker.
Prolonged absence from work can lead to poor physical and mental health outcomes for the injured worker. It can also impact your business with loss of productivity, lowered morale and potential increases to your workers compensation premium. Therefore, the sooner an injured worker can safely return to work, the better the outcomes will be for all.
In most instances, a worker’s return to the workplace following an injury will be smooth and seamless. However, there may be occasions when return to work is delayed. This may be due to barriers from the worker, treatment provider or even the employer. There may even be concurrent barriers from multiple stakeholders. These barriers may be challenges or obstacles that can affect the worker’s recovery and ability to return to work.

Coaching

Through our EML Offers, our customers can access exceptional deals on coaching from NthDegree that provides Return to Work Coordinators with a dedicated coach who will provide them with individualised training, support and advice in injury management and return to work related topics.

Weekly benefits/income support factsheets

Access our range of colourful and easy to read collection of factsheets which have been designed to support employers in NSW, VIC and SA. They also include a helpful list of common definitions and notes to help clarify common industry terms.

Judgemental podcast: what the data reveals about workplace mental health

Mental health conditions are now one of the fastest growing drivers of workers compensation and personal injury claims in Australia. To better understand the challenge, EML commissioned independent research with Monash University’s Healthy Working Lives Research Group.

Pioneering change for recovery: Laura Martin PIEF 2025 finalist for outstanding leadership

EML’s Laura Martin is a PIEF 2025 finalist for outstanding leadership, recognising her decades-long commitment to reshaping how care is delivered in the workers compensation and personal injury sector.

Leading with purpose: Matthew Vickers PIEF 2025 Finalist for Outstanding Leadership

The Excellence in Personal Injury and Disability Management Awards recognises the contribution individuals and teams have made within the personal injury industry - showcasing innovation, excellence in customer service and outstanding leadership.

PIEF 2025 Awards: the team making a difference across NSW

One of EML’s five finalists in the highly competitive PIEF 2025 Excellence in Personal Injury and Disability Management Awards, is our outstanding NSW Recovery Pathways team.

Celebrating excellence: EML finalists in the 2025 PIEF Awards

At EML, we’re proud to recognise the individuals and teams whose innovation, leadership, and dedication are shaping the future of personal injury and workers’ compensation. Their selection as finalists in the 2025 PIEF Awards highlights how our people are driving change across the industry — from ground-breaking research collaborations to transformative workplace programs, and from inspiring leadership to system-wide contributions.

EML named finalist in 2025 Comcare National Work Health and Safety Awards

EML Group has been announced as a finalist in the 2025 Comcare National Work Health and Safety Awards for excellence in recovery and return-to-work initiatives. Our Career Transition Program, developed with Comcare, has improved return-to-work outcomes by 247%, helping injured workers find meaningful new career pathways.

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