What’s “return to work coordination” all about?  

Employees are a business’ most valuable asset.  When an employee can't work due to illness or injury, it impacts not only the business' productivity, but it also affects its morale.  Effective return-to-work coordination can help employees work while still recuperating; protecting their earning power and boosting an organization's output. Furthermore, in many instances, work itself plays an important role in the recovery process.

The emphasis of why we’re called Return to Work Matters…because it does!

Return To Work Matters is a professional resource site serving the many people involved with return to work coordination.

Who are Return To Work Professionals?  They are the people whose responsibility it is to facilitate injured or ill employees to recover their health and get back to their jobs.

Many people play a part in this work and Return To Work Matters supports all of them.  Our focus begins with Return To Work Professionals (you may notice site navigation and terminology is designed around this primary focus), but we don’t just preach to the choir.  Our experts’ experience and interests extend to employees, their co-workers, HR & OH&S staff, medical and rehabilitation practitioners and claims managers.

Return To Work Matters delivers common sense tools, practical resources and interventions that are derived from evidence based research gathered from worldwide resources.  We review research, publish practical tools, and model policies and procedures.  We also provide 'how to' information and training resources.  We are particularly interested in facilitating the growth of positive workplace cultures.  Our team can and does give advice and we do research specific problems at the request of members.  

We also provide an overview of contemporary issues and news on return to work matters, and we publish training and professional development opportunities.  The events register lists upcoming conferences, seminars and workshops to help make it convenient for you to seek out professional development.

In addition to confronting the day to day, face to face issues that employers, claims managers and return to work professionals must deal with, Return To Work Matters is an advocacy body.  We take a serious approach to governmental policy, legislation and systems administration.  We are not fans of system processes that frustrate relationships, or of bureaucracies that impose authority; especially when goodwill and growing partnerships are proven to result in the best outcomes.

Return To Work Matters is directed by individuals who have for decades been in leadership roles in Occupational Medicine, return to work facilitation, policy development and professional network support.  Our people not only know what it is like to do this work, but are recognized internationally as leading innovators in the field.
 

The Return to Work Matters Team
 

	Consulting Editor - Mary Harris Mary is a Return to Work Specialist.  Although she has the credentials, a Masters degree in Vocational Rehabilitation and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), it is her wide ranging experience that has provided her with a unique understanding of the challenges and complex interactions that can lead to - or impede- a successful return to work. It is Mary's conviction that a return to work benefits not only the employee and their family, but it also serves their communities and society as well.  email
	Consulting Editor - Dr. Mary Wyatt Mary is a specialist Occupational Physician.  She knows enough about medicine to see it as less important than a person's beliefs, workplace attitude, and how systems work when it comes to return to work. Mary's passions are to see better care of employees with health conditions, and to provide access to the research that shows us how we can do better.   She has been involved with many activities in the field: research, teaching, doctoring, mediating, and working to get research into practice. email
	Writer – Tom Barton Tom scours the globe for the latest news on return to work research, legislation and opinion. His Return to Work Matters articles range from disease fact sheets and illness treatment, to guides for return to work coordinators and information for injured workers. Tom also maintains the ‘Events’ database, so feel free to forward your upcoming return to work themed program material to him. email
	Writer - Gabrielle Lis Feature writer, Gabrielle also edits Research reviews and Resources. email
	General Manager - Cheryl Griffiths Cheryl is responsible for marketing, partnership development and membership services. email
	US Operations Manager / Newsletter Editor - Erica LeMay Erica helps to ensure our customers are well taken care of and that operations are running smoothly.  She also is in charge of editing the weekly RTWMatters newsletter.  When she's not meeting deadlines, Erica enjoys spending time outdoors. Have a suggestion for a feature article?  Questions, comments? Email Erica, she'd love to get your feedback! email
	Senior Web Developer - Unnikrishnan (Unni) M.L. Responsible for the development of RTWMatters websites. Unni has 9 years programming experience in PHP/MySQL and ASP.NET/SQL Server. email

Return to Work Matters regularly features guest writers and interviews with industry experts.
If you feel you or your organization has a positive or practical contribution to make, please contact info@rtwmatters.org

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