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Melbourne’s #1 WorkCover Consultant Mark Stipic challenges you to question whether it’s right to make a living out of Return To Work. Think about it… In order for you to even have a job, someone needs to have been injured. Isn’t it wrong to grow a career based on the suffering of others? Is it immoral to profit from their pain? Today’s episode is brought to you by Mark Stipic Consulting and the WorkCover Refund Audit where employers are getting $10,000s refunded back to them. Contact Mark Stipic Consulting today for a no obligation consultation to find out how you and your clients can turn your WorkCover premiums into profits. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn and join the RTW Nation Facebook Group. Today’s episode can also be viewed on Mark’s YouTube channel.

Veteran WorkCover Consultant Mark Stipic shares insights he recently revealed to university students from La Trobe University graduating from the Rehabilitation Counselling course. Whether you are in the early stages of your career, feeling stuck in your job prospects or contemplating pivoting to new area, this episode is a must-listen. Discover how to turn your knowledge into practice. Get a glimpse of what the future of the Return To Work profession looks like and some non-workcover areas where you can apply your skills. And Mark shares three important takeaways to help you future-proof your career. Plus we have a listener review from 'salmacmahon' who also happens to be a fellow podcaster. Check out Mark's interview with Sally on the Fit For Work podcast. Today’s episode is brought to you by Mark Stipic Consulting and the WorkCover Refund Audit where employers are getting $10,000s refunded back to them. Contact Mark Stipic Consulting today for a no obligation consultation to find out how you and your clients can turn your WorkCover premiums into profits. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn and join the RTW Nation Facebook Group. Today’s episode can also be viewed on Mark’s YouTube channel.

In today's episode of RTW Nation, veteran WorkCover consultant Mark Stipic shares his best tip on how to handle morally conflicting scenarios. He's also got plenty of updates on what has been happening in the world of Return To Work and some exciting developments with the podcast format. Today's episode is brought to you by Mark Stipic Consulting and the WorkCover Refund Audit where employers are getting $10,000s refunded back to them. Contact Mark Stipic Consulting today for a no obligation consultation to find out how you and your clients can turn your WorkCover premiums into profits. Connect with Mark on LinkedIn and join the RTW Nation Facebook Group. Today's episode can also be viewed on Mark's YouTube channel.

In today's episode of RTW Nation veteran WorkCover consultant and trainer Mark Stipic talks with Dr Jason Thompson from the university of Melbourne and the Institute for Safety Compensation and Recovery Research. We discuss how blame influences Return To Work outcomes and discover the shocking reality that people who blame others for their injury experience a significantly poorer rehabilitation outcome. Make sure you follow Jason on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn. Mark also discusses the exciting lineup up at WorkCover WA's 2017 Return To Work Conference.

Today on RTW Nation we speak with Matt Francis and Grant Porter. They're the driving force behind Anna Cares. She's a digital relational agent (don't worry, we'll explain what a relational agent is) and she's helping injured workers manage their injury and recovery. Workplace injury is just one area Anna Cares is being put to use. We discuss: Where the idea for Anna Cares came from and how it's used What scenarios Anna Cares is ideal for The logic behind the decisions around the avatar's appearance Will relational agents replace humans? Learn more and keep in touch via the Anna Cares website or follow Clevertar on Twitter. Connect with Grant Porter on LinkedIn or Twitter. Connect with Matt Francis on LinkedIn

Dr Mary Wyatt is an Occupational Physician and editor of Return To Work Matters. She has had a profound influence on RTW outcomes at a patient level and a system level. We discuss: What motivates Mary to keep driving improvement in RTW We discuss the key findings of the report: 'Return To Work: A Comparison of Psychological and Physical Injury Claims' commissioned by Safe Work Australia The importance of early interactions Why employers need systems in place before injuries occur People with psychological claims are treated differently, but should they be treated the same? Learn more about Mary at Return To Work Matters or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Today's guest on RTW Nation is Anjelo Ratnachandra. He is a director at AMS Consulting and director and physiotherapist at Beyond Pain where he treats people experiencing persistent pain. Anjelo is author of the book Beyond Pain. We discuss: Anjelo's personal experience's with pain Why people can experience pain, even in the absence of physical diagnostic evidence How to explain pain to someone who just doesn't get it Why pain messages are affected by temperature, touch and more Why our emotions affect pain levels The importance of goal setting How to manage a Return To Work program for an injured worker experiencing pain Plus we have a motivational quote from Aristotle that was featured in Anjelo's book. Connect with Anjelo on LinkedIn and learn more at the Beyond Pain website.

Occupational Physician Dr Peter Sharman shares tips on how to communicate and collaborate with General Practitioners who treat injured workers. You can find Peter at Hobart Occupational Medicine. We discuss: The challenges compensable injuries bring to general practice How Peter communicates with GPs on behalf of employers and insurers Peter's advice on the most effective means of communication with GPs Why some rehab providers are left out of the consulting room The merits and risks of company-nominated doctors Connect with Peter on Twitter and LinkedIn. Also be sure to subscribe to his blog Insult & Injury.

Shawn Callahan is a master storyteller, founder of Anecdote and author of Putting Stories To Work. He works with companies across all fields of business to develop their strategic stories and successfully embed their strategies. We discuss: How Shawn moved from a technology career to storytelling How stories influence culture We're all storytellers, but we often forget to tell stories in formal situations Whatever you do, don't introduce your story, just tell it Many great leaders achieve influence through their use of stories How to incorporate stories into business strategy How to deal with anti-stories How to ask great questions Click here to purchase a copy of Putting Stories To Work. Connect with Shawn on LinkedIn and Twitter. Tweetable quotes from today's episode: "If you want to change a culture, you need to change the stories that are told" "People will only tell you the high level story until they really believe you care"

Today I explain what Limiting Beliefs are and how they differ from reasons and excuses. I offer up a 3 step process to help you: Recognise that limiting beliefs exist Identify the limiting beliefs that are holding you back Turn problems into aspirations Plus I have a motivational quote from Jim Rohn. Tweetable quotes from today's episode: A Limiting belief is a self-imposed limitation on your potential You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with Limiting beliefs are invisible barriers. The only thing holding you back is yourself

Today on RTW Nation I am highlighting the Personal Injury and Disability Management Conference that's happening on October 12-14 2016. It's hosted by the Personal Injury Education Foundation and the Australian Society Of Rehabilitation Counsellors. I'm speaking on day 3. I'm attending on day 2 also. And I hope to see you there! Click here to register now.

Today I speak with Graeme Innes AM who has recently published his autobiography Finding A Way. Graeme Innes AM is an Australian company director, lawyer and public speaker. He has been a human rights practitioner for 30 years in NSW and Western Australia and has participated in the development of national and international human rights instruments. Graeme was Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner from December 2005 until July 2014. During that time he also served as Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner for 3.5 years and as Race Discrimination Commissioner for 2 years. In 1995, Graeme was entered into of the Order of Australia as a Member (AM). In 2003, he was a finalist for Australian of the Year. In 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Canberra and appointed as an adjunct professor at the University of Sydney. Make sure you buy a copy of Graeme's autobiography Finding A Way and connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter. Graeme and I discuss: Why he chose to study law Whether Australian laws are adequate to require employers not to discriminate How we can all tackle the task of changing  perceptions towards disability by employing people with disability, putting them in public-facing roles and setting targets I ask Graeme my "magic wand" question Graeme's passion for sailing How to ensure technology is accessible Graeme suggests the Australian Network on Disability is a great resource for any employers who are serious about getting serious about disability confidence Quotes from today's episode: "You don't make a workplace safe by removing people with disabilities from it, you make a workplace safe by making the workplace safe" "We need to say the small but powerful words to a person with disability: You start on Monday" "If you're not employing people with disabilities (20% of the population) then your business is not reflecting the community of your customers"

Today I speculate  whether robots will put Return To Work Professionals out of a job as automation plays a bigger role in the future of RTW. The processes I predict are vulnerable to automation include: How we handle Certificates of Capacity and reimbursement of wages for injured workers How we prepare RTW Plans and allocate tasks for non-injured workers Claims management processes Dispute resolution Compliance with safety policies and procedures I'm also pleased to announce I'm speaking at the Personal Injury & Disability Management Conference 2016. Also discussed in this episode: An MIT study that showed people prefer robot bosses The UK's robot lawyer DoNotPay who has beaten 160,000 speeding tickets Work-related injury and illness in Australia, 2004 to 2014 by ISCRR

Employee engagement is more and more becoming recognised as an important leading indictor for injury prevention. So I've gone right to the source and interviewed a real influencer in culture and engagement. Didier Elzinga knows what he's willing to hurt for. He is CEO and co-founder of Culture Amp - a culture first software company that is building the world's leading survey platform for people & culture. We discuss: What makes Culture Amp different in how they measure employee engagement How to use data to inform, rather than decide Why it's important to measure multiple metrics, including your "people lens" Lessons that "brick and mortar" businesses can learn from tech startups How company values tie in with culture How to deliver business outcomes through culture The future of the Human Resources profession Didier's advice to people entering the Human Resources profession What is a People Geek? Check out Culture Amp's surveys and subscribe to their People Geekly newsletter. You can connect with Didier on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.

Today you'll hear something that doesn't happen often (enough?) - I get up on my soapbox and have a little rant about Lost Time Injuries (LTIs). You will learn about: The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill that resulted in 11 workplace fatalities and 17 injuries How is it possible that Transocean would claim this was the best year for safety in the history of the company? Examples of Lagging Indicators that measure past performance Examples of Leading Indicators that can predict future performance Lagging Indicators and Leading Indicators are both important, but for different reasons The key is to measure current performance, implement a strategy, then measure again Are you measuring the right indicators? It's my birthday this week and if you want to wish me a happy birthday, I'd love to receive a podcast review! Connect with Mark on LinkedIn and join the RTW Nation Facebook Group.

In RTW Nation episode 26 I'm talking with Rob Aurbach. He's a consultant who has spent much of his career helping policy-makers design compensation schemes. Rob has just released a free online resilience tool to help people assess and improve resilience. Return To Work can be a stressful role at times and it's helpful to have tools that can help you cope. Have a listen and you may also start thinking of possible applications resilience training could hold for your co-workers and the people you serve. Workers compensation systems can be inherently stressful for injured workers and there is evidence that improving resilience could reduce the stress of being on workers compensation and may lead to improved rehabilitation outcomes. We discuss: Rob's personal story The history of resilience The definition of resilience The four resilience styles How to assess and improve resilience The potential applications of resilience training in workers compensation and more Check out Rob's site Uncommon Approach, take the resilience test and connect with Rob on LinkedIn.

This is my stopwatch summary of the 5th Australasian Compensation Health Research Forum held in Melbourne on 1 & 2 August 2016. What is a stopwatch summary? I summarise all of the keynote speeches in under 1 minute each and give you my key takeaway. Featured in this episode is: Professor Michael Sullivan Dr Graeme Innes Ms Nas Campanella Professor Judith Smith Mr Steve Tighe To be the first to hear about  the next ACHRF, make sure you subscribe to the ISCRR newsletter.

3 minute listen Learn about the 5th Australasian Compensation Health Research Forum happening on 1 & 2 August 2016 at the Melbourne Convention Centre. Check out my video tweet direct from the venue. Speakers include: Professor Michael Sullivan Dr Graeme Innes AM Ms Nas Campanella Professor Judith Smith Mr Steve Tighe I am humbled and privileged to be Master of Ceremonies for this event and I can't wait to see you there. The hashtag for this event is #ACHRF2016 Get your tickets now.

Today Mark Stipic discusses how the future of Return To Work may shift towards a Sharing Economy. Mark discusses: What the sharing economy is What's going to happen in RTW in 10-15 years? Full time employment will become scarce The days of the generalist are numbered The emergence of the Free Agent Mark gives 3 tips to help you prepare yourself for the rise of the Free Agent Take control of your personal brand Position yourself as a specialist Build your network We also have two listener reviews from iTunes. Also discussed is the book The Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders.

Today I'm talking with Jo Muirhead, founder of PurpleCo. Jo takes us through: Her background as a Rehabilitation Counsellor and her transition from employment to self-employment How she defines excellence as moving beyond compliance and prescription How Jo teaches businesses to embrace excellence She gives us her thoughts on people vs the paper trail Why you should be curious The value Jo derived from learning mediation I give you a motivational quote from the Greek philosopher Aristotle. You can connect with Jo on LinkedIn and find out more on the PurpleCo website. Today's episode was brought to you by the free eBook 5 Things You Need To Know About Return To Work.