Every year, more than half a million Australians sustain a work-related injury or illness. For the employee who becomes injured or ill at work, and for their employer, failed or incomplete return to work can have significant negative consequences. In a previous project, BETA developed guidance materials for the Australian Public Service focused on supporting the supervisor-worker relationship following the illness or injury of a worker.
For the present project, BETA collaborated with Safe Work Australia to adapt these existing return to work materials for use by supervisors in Small and Medium Enterprises. We undertook a literature review, stakeholder consultation, and data analysis. Key findings from this diagnostic research informed the first round of revisions to the original return to work guidance materials. Next, we user tested the revised materials with 12 supervisors working in SMEs, and made further changes based on their feedback. The final materials are available on the Safe Work Australia website: Managing the relationship with an injured or ill worker during return to work: A guide for supervisors in small and medium businesses