education queensland return to work policy

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Working after illness or injury

Queensland Shared Services (QSS) helps employees remain in or return to work after illness, injury and WorkCover claims.

An hourly rate or a service rate.

Supervisors of ill or injured employees.

What QSS will provide

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Return to work plan

Coordinate a medical return to work plan in consultation with the employee, supervisor, reviewing doctor and other experts.

Talk to your agency HR team about whether QSS medical case management is appropriate for your situation.

Frequently asked questions

How do I create a return to work plan?

How do I get a workplace assessment done?

How do I get back to work after an injury or illness?

What are my pay options when I have an illness or injury?

What is a return to work plan?

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Returning to the workforce

If you are thinking about returning to the workforce, there are a few things to consider so the transition is as easy as possible.

First, you need to think about what jobs will suit your needs, skills and experience. Finding a job that you enjoy and that is right for you is important. You can read more about this on our finding the right job page.

If you have been out of the workforce for some time, it may be worthwhile to rebuild your skills or learn new skills. One option is an apprenticeship or traineeship , which combines training with practical work. Other options include work experience , study or volunteering .

It is also important to consider what skills are currently in demand, as this will have an impact on the future prospects of some jobs. The Labour Market Insights website provides employment data by region and employment projections for the next 5 years.

Disability Employment Services

Disability Employment Services offer specialised help and support for people with disability wanting to work. The services provided are tailored to the individual's needs and may include:

• training in specific skills
• developing a resume
• interview skills training
• on-the-job training once you have a job
• help with workplace modifications.

Disclosure of disability

There is no legal obligation to disclose a disability to an employer, unless it affects your performance or safety, or the safety of co-workers. You can learn more about disclosure and privacy , including your rights and responsibilities, on the JobAccess website.

More information

• JobAccess advisers can provide expert advice for people with disability wanting to return to work. Phone 1800 464 800.
• JobSearch provides information about getting a job and offers an online database of available jobs.

Returning to work from family leave

In the past six months, there have been enquiries from administrators and teachers about their right-of-return conditions after parental leave.

In this article, we will explore some of the key provisions in terms of the underpinning flexible work values, the legislation that enacts those values and the department’s strong commitment as captured in the code of conduct and encapsulated in policy.

Employees returning to work after 52 weeks or less of paid and unpaid parental leave are entitled to return to “the position held by the employee immediately before starting parental leave”, as per the Queensland Industrial Relations Act 1999. This same condition applies in industrial relations laws throughout Australia. It is important to be aware that a substantively different role can be seen as less favourable treatment on the grounds of parental status, and therefore, as discrimination. The entitlement exists to support parents, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s “Supporting Working Parents: Pregnancy and Return to Work National Review Community Guide 2014”, “to pick up where they left off, while being able to balance work and family commitments”. “Returning to the position held” is a workplace entitlement deliberately there to support the parent’s successful transition back to work.

The legislation does provide for a position to change or to no longer be available, e.g. in a school with declining enrolments. However, there is a clear obligation that the employer is to be active and timely in communicating the change and effectively negotiating the way forward with the returning parent, while they are still on leave. A lack of timeliness and/or genuine negotiation would not serve to deliver on the requirements under legislation and departmental policy.

In terms of classified officers, there is an entitlement to return to the position held if on leave for up to two years (one year of parental leave plus one year of extended special leave) before they can be made unattached. However, it is not common practice for a classified officer on unpaid special leave for family responsibilities to be made unattached, unless the officer is seeking it. Timely and open communication between the classified officer, the school and region usually resolves any complexities.

Teachers and educational leaders returning from parental leave can request, in writing, part-time work specifically so that they can continue to be the “child’s primary caregiver when not at work”. As the department is the employer, it is important that both the region and the school’s principal are informed (principals would lodge their request with their region’s human resources manager).

When making the application on the basis of being the primary caregiver, start and end dates should be indicated, along with the impact the refusal of the application might have on them and their dependants. The employer (the department) must then consider the particular circumstances that give rise to the application, particularly circumstances relating to the employee’s role as the child’s caregiver and the impact refusal might have on the employee and the employee’s dependants. The department is also to consider the effect of the application on the conduct of the business. Such an application must not be unreasonably refused, and where it is, written reasons must be provided.

As the department, not the school, is the employer, where a principal is meeting challenges in striving to facilitate part-time work for a parent, the region should be working with all parties to seek to identify “options available to overcome” the challenges.

The department articulates the purpose of its part-time teaching policy as: “The department . . . is committed to providing work environments and practices that better support the work-life balances of teachers, including access to part-time employment.” Every year, from May onwards, there tends to be a surge in enquiries about returning to work after parental leave and access to part-time work.

The Union has detailed information on parental leave and access to part-time work that can help members navigate their return from parental leave. Contact QTAD at [email protected] for more information.

Kevina O’Neill                                                                                                                   Acting Assistant Secretary - Women’s and Social Welfare Issues

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 121 No 5, 15 July 2016, p25

Queensland Teachers' Journal online archive

Publication information (incl. advertising), letters to the editor.

© QTU 2024

1300 647 789

Return to Work Guidelines: Queensland

5 January 2020 posted by Recovery Partners

A Return to Work (RTW) program is the framework that supports an individual to return to work after a work-related injury. Each state has different legislation and regulations to guide employers, workers and other stakeholders through this process.

Returning to work after an illness or injury is an important part of a worker’s recovery. This injury may be physical or psychological. In Queensland, the government body that regulates workers’ compensation is called  Workplace Health and Safety Queensland  and the body that facilitates the safe return to work of injured workers and provides insurance is called  WorkCover Queensland .

When someone is returning to work, there are several parties involved, all of whom have a part to play in assisting the injured worker. This includes doctors and other health professionals, employers, insurers, rehabilitation providers and, of course, the worker themselves. A safe return to work is more likely to be successful when the worker takes an active part in the planning for this outcome.

Workplace rehabilitation is the process in which an individual recovers at work, performing their work as they get better. This may involve reduced hours, modified tasks, or an alternative role.

The responsibilities of each stakeholder involved in the return to work process are as follows:

The worker must actively contribute to their own return to work planning and participate in treatment and rehabilitation. They must communicate openly and honestly with WorkCover and their employers to keep all parties informed and make reasonable efforts to return to work when possible, even if this means performing alternative duties.

The employer is responsible for reporting the incident in which the worker sustained an injury, and initiating the claim with WorkCover. Employers are also tasked with providing rehabilitation to the worker and assisting them to return to work as soon as possible, even if a claim has not been fully processed.  Employers must pay an excess to WorkCover if the worker has to take time off, and must ensure that they are complying with the  Standard for Rehabilitation  and any other workplace rehabilitation policies and procedures. The employer should also offer support to the worker, empathising with their position and encouraging them to return to work as soon as it is safe to do so. Employers in QLD must also supervise support staff such as rehabilitation and return to work coordinators, find alternative duties for the worker if necessary, and implement supports for them. The employer must communicate regularly with WorkCover and the employee about their progress, and review their tasks as needed.

A worker’s supervisor may also be involved, and they are tasked with more direct and proactive interaction with the worker, guiding their transition back into work, monitoring and reporting on their progress and rehabilitation, as well as offering support.

The  Guidelines for Standard for Rehabilitation  is a document that has been developed specifically to help employers understand their obligations when an individual is returning to work after an injury. More information can be found  here.

Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator

This role may be performed by an employee if the workplace is not required to have a dedicated Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator (see below).

The Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the worker’s return to work, liaising with the worker to ascertain the extent of their injuries, consulting with the worker about suitable duties and ensuring their work remains within these parameters, and liaising and communicating with other stakeholders including the employer/insurer and WorkCover.

Insurer: WorkCover QLD or self-insured employer

If a business is self-insured, they take on the responsibilities otherwise fulfilled by WorkCover. These responsibilities include assessing claims and deciding on compensation, financial entitlements and ongoing benefits, as well as coordinating the rehabilitation and return to work plan for the injured worker. This may be an advisory role.

Health providers

Health providers are tasked with assisting in the ongoing clinical care of the worker, assessing and treating their injuries. They are responsible for completing a Work Capacity Certificate and providing medical advice to the worker, their employer and the insurer.

Injury Management Coordinator

The Injury Management Coordinator may be engaged by the employer or by WorkCover QLD to provide assistance with injury management, including developing rehabilitation, injury management and return to work plans, providing workplace assessments and liaising with the medical practitioners involved.

Do all employers need to appoint a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator?

An employer in Queensland may need to appoint a Rehabilitation and Return to Work Coordinator if they meet  certain criteria as outlined by WorkCover Queensland. If they meet the criteria, they will also need to have workplace rehabilitation policy and procedures  within six months of establishing a workplace or starting to employ workers at the workplace. These policies and procedures must be readily available and reviewed at a minimum of every three years.

Injury Management Programs

Injury management programs in workplaces are designed to promote sustainable employment outcomes for individuals who have experienced an injury. Injury management programs are an effective way of assisting workers to return to work and controlling the compensation costs for an employer. An injury management program documents the procedures that staff should follow when and after an injury occurs, and outline how the worker’s safe return to work can be facilitated. WorkCover Queensland has developed best practice guidelines for injury management programs, suggesting that they should include:

• Measurable goals
• Guidance on the compensation process
• Guidance for how the injured employee should be communicated with
• A framework for open communication between all stakeholders
• Expectations of all stakeholders and role clarity
• Related prevention and health promotion programs to minimise chances of future injury
• Guidance on how staff will be made aware of the injury management program
• Information on how conflicts or disputes will be managed. More information can be found  here .

Early intervention and the Biopsychosocial approach

WorkCover Queensland advocates an early intervention approach to returning to work after an injury. This means that a worker’s return to work planning should commence as soon as possible following the injury. If an employer is not a self-insurer, they must not pay the workers’ compensation themselves but may pay an amount while the claim is being processed. The employer must inform WorkCover of this within 8 business days of the payment being made.

As a feature of their early intervention methodology, WorkCover has an outline of beneficial strategies and guidance for employers when they are communicating with an injured worker. More information can be found  here .

WorkCover also advocates for a  biopsychosocial  understanding of workplace injury management, to understand and address the needs of the injured worker in the context of their health, personality and social culture and environment. This allows for a more tailored and comprehensive approach to rehabilitation. Find out more  here .

Rehabilitation and retur n to work plan

The rehabilitation and return to work plan is a document that outlines both the rehabilitation objectives for a worker and the steps that must be taken to achieve these objectives. The insurer (which is WorkCover unless the employer is a self-insurer) is responsible for formulating this plan in consultation with medical practitioners, the worker and the employer.

The rehabilitation and return to work plan should include:

• Information about the worker and who their support people are (including a RTW Coordinator if applicable)
• Information about the suitable duties program (see below)
• The rehabilitation and return to work goals of the worker
• The advice of the medical practitioners on their return to work, treatment and capacities, and tasks/duties that should be avoided
• Any modifications or accommodations to the workplace that are required
• A schedule for reviewing the plan.

All stakeholders should sign and date the plan. WorkCover advocates for a person-centred approach to return to work processes. More information can be found  here .

Suitable duties

If an injured worker cannot safely or practically return to their pre-injury tasks or duties, it is the responsibility of the employer to identify alternative working arrangements, tasks or duties. These are referred to as ‘ suitable duties’ , and take into account the physical and psychological capacities and restrictions of the worker, any training required and a schedule for the duties to be performed.

The rehabilitation and return to work coordinator is responsible for developing a  suitable duties plan  for the worker. More information about suitable duties plans can be found  here.

If no suitable duties are able to be identified in a workplace, the employer should contact WorkCover to discuss the possibility of the worker using their skills and abilities at a different workplace while they recover. This is called host employment. More information can be found  here .

Dispute resolution

According to the guidelines for the Standard of Rehabilitation, employers must inform workers of the dispute resolution procedures that are available to them if the worker does not agree with aspects of the workplace rehabilitation and return to work plan or suitable duties plan that have been proposed.

Confidentiality

Workers can expect that employers will take reasonable measures to preserve the confidentiality of their information. All information should be collated in a personal file and stored in a secure environment. Employers should be aware of current legislative standards regarding privacy of information. It is an offence to misuse a workers’ compensation document.

Notifiable incidents

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland requires that they be notified if a certain type of incident occurs in which a worker sustains an injury. This is different to informing WorkCover QLD of an injury, although both can be done at the same time.

More information about notifiable incidents can be found  here.

There are no specific return to work or Injury Management display/noticeboard requirements for businesses in Queensland.

Information in this article is correct at the time of publication. While comprehensive, this is not an exhaustive guide to the RTW requirements in Queensland and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and WorkCover are the best sources of information for this. If you’d like to know more about implementing an effective RTW program in your workplace, get in touch with Recovery Partners by calling 1300 OHS RTW (647 789) or emailing [email protected].

Recovery Partners provides personalised service to customers in all areas of workplace safety and occupational rehabilitation. 

Our services are available nationwide . For more information about our services contact us .

Our consultants love to have a chat, so go ahead and give us a call on 1300 OHS RTW (647 789) or email [email protected]

Disclaimer – these articles are provided to supply general safety information to people responsible for OHS in their organisation. They are general in nature and do not substitute for legal and/or professional advice. We always suggest that organisations obtain information specific to their needs. Additional information can be found at https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/ 

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New policy helps employers improve recovery and return to work

The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine’s recent It Pays to Care policy paper looked at why better recovery and return to work outcomes are important and ways they may be achieved.

The report says employers can make a positive difference if they:

• build a workplace culture where workers are informed about workers’ compensation, assisted to make a claim if they are injured, and physically and psychologically supported throughout their recovery and return to work
• equip supervisors with skills to manage injury and return to work.

If you operate a small to medium-sized business, it’s important to prepare for an injury occurring. To help, here is a quick refresher on what you need to know.

Most importantly, your role is to support your worker to make an early return to safe work.

• Contact the worker as soon as possible after their injury about support you can offer and take time to understand how the injury affects them.
• Report injuries to insurers immediately (within eight days) and start the claim process. Investigate the injury and the circumstances to prevent further injury.
• Provide workers with safe work duties as soon as it’s safe to do after an injury.
• Offer flexible working arrangements or suitable duties to help the worker’s return and talk to WorkCover Queensland about accommodations for your worker to recover at work.
• Monitor worker recovery and update suitable duties and have rehab and return to work policies and procedures made known to workers.
• Ensure information about rehabilitation or a compensation claim is confidential and separate from employment records. This information should only be used to support rehabilitation, and not be related to their employment (disciplinary action, or whether their employment should continue - you legally cannot use a work-related injury as a reason to dismiss within one year).

How to foster a positive injury management culture?

Share information about workers’ compensation and rehabilitation and return to work in an easy-to-understand, supportive way. Take a person-centred approach , placing the injured worker front and centre of their recovery and return to work using the following tips.

• Talk with the worker to understand their experience, preferences and views. Plan the work to define and agree on goals and how you’ll reach them.
• Focus on the worker’s strengths, abilities and skills, making accommodations to support them to return to safe work earlier. Find solutions that balance what is important to the workplace and to the injured worker.
• Act on agreed plans and actions, tracking progress and giving updates when needed.
• Use clear and agreed communication strategies and timeframes.
• Involve family and treatment providers in the worker’s recovery.

Equip you and your supervisors with the right skills.

• Maintaining contact with the injured worker throughout their recovery, to provide support and encourage their early, safe return to work.
• Working with the injured worker to develop a suitable duties program that works for their individual situation and needs.
• Ensuring the injured worker’s tasks are within the limits set out by their doctor.
• Regularly providing updates to the insurer.

Please note, large employers and those in high-risk industries must appoint a RRTWC. Speak to your insurer if you’re unsure if this applies to you.

• Engage an allied health professional to perform a job task analysis at your workplace. This is a document identifying all jobs and tasks available, so you can quickly identify those suitable for the injured worker. Download a job task analysis template (DOC, 0.05 MB) .
• Ensure your workplace has up-to-date rehabilitation and return to work policies and procedure. Download a workplace rehabilitation policies and procedures template (PDF, 0.26 MB) .
• Understand how to create a suitable duties program .

Sign up to the Rehabilitation and Return to Work e-bulletin and follow the Return to Work Queensland Facebook page for news on how to support rehabilitation and return to work.

More information

• For free and independent workers’ compensation information and advisory service for employers
• WorkCover Queensland

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Greens MP Amy MacMahon confirms she will run for re-election after recovering from Queensland car crash

Queensland Greens MP Amy MacMahon is back at work following a car crash that left her with serious injuries, as she prepares to run for re-election in the upcoming state election during October.

The Member for South Brisbane has spent the past eight weeks recovering from the February 12 crash at Kangaroo Point, including a two-and-a-half week stint in hospital.

In an interview with ABC Radio Brisbane , Ms MacMahon said she was excited to return to work sooner than initially anticipated, but also acknowledged she was not yet up to her usual pace.

"I'm obviously feeling much better and really excited to get out and catch up with as many locals as I can, and make up for lost time," she said.

"There's definitely some lingering pain and some lingering fatigue that I will be working through.

"I've got a bit of rehabilitation ahead of me, but sort of feeling progress each week."

Ms MacMahon, who was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital after the crash, said she sustained head trauma, a dislocated shoulder, and swelling and bruising.

She says she cannot remember the crash or much of the aftermath.

"My family were amazing. They were by my side nearly the whole time I was in hospital," Ms MacMahon said.

"They got there on the night when I was brought into emergency and someone from my family was with me for most of the time that I was in hospital.

"My siblings and my mum and my dad were absolutely incredible, and I think their support actually is one of the key factors in my recovery."

Ms MacMahon said her recovery included physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

Support from fellow MPs

The MP has received many well wishes from the community, with flowers and cards sent to her electorate office at West End.

Fellow state members from across the political divide have also offered their support.

"I got some bunches of flowers from other MPs and cards and emails wishing me well, which has been extremely lovely," Ms MacMahon said.

"The parliament also had to all vote on a motion to approve my leave from parliament, because I was not going to be able to sit in parliament for some weeks.

"And knowing that happened seamlessly and with the support of every MP in there was a huge weight off my mind."

A woman who police allege was travelling in another car involved in the two-vehicle crash was in February served a notice to appear for one count of dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm.

She appeared in court last month and the matter was adjourned until April 22.

'Elections are always difficult'

Ms MacMahon has confirmed she will run for re-election in her South Brisbane electorate in October, as the Greens aim to win more seats in the parliament.

The minor party is expected to unveil candidates soon.

The Greens currently hold the South Brisbane and Maiwar electorates, and the party is planning to target another eight seats in the looming poll, including McConnel and Cooper.

"Elections are always difficult, and we know we have a huge challenge ahead of us in picking up new seats," Ms MacMahon said.

"We know that we need to rollout huge ground campaigns and get volunteers out on the ground to have conversations with people."

Ms MacMahon said it was frustrating at times to not be as involved in issues as she usually would while she took time off to recover.

She was on leave when the government announced it would it scrap the $2.7 billion rebuild of the Gabba for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games — a project Ms MacMahon has long opposed.

She was also out of action in the weeks leading up to the March council election.

Ms MacMahon thanked the community for their "kindness and patience" while she recovered.

"I think this experience has demonstrated to me more than ever how important our public health system is," she said.

"I'm really the product of an incredible public health system."

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