Our Return to Work (RTW) Coordinator services simplify the workers’ compensation process for employers across Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, Darwin, Adelaide, and Tasmania, ensuring employees gain access to professional support immediately following an incident. Our Return to Work (RTW) Program is designed to handle the entire process from start to finish, ensuring a safe and durable return to work, improving health outcomes and reducing costs and impact on your workers’ compensation premium.
From the moment a workplace injury occurs, we’ll triage the incident and provide notification, treatment recommendations and requirements under each scheme. Our RTW Coordinator will notify relevant regulators, submit claims, liaise with all stakeholders, develop recovery and return to work plans and provide the support and advice you need to remove stress.
Altius assists insurers, employers, workers and treating doctors across Australia to find solutions to problems in complex return to work and injury management cases. Our team assesses the nature of the problem and attempts to mediate a solution. With access to a panel of medical specialists, we’re able to deliver impartial medical assessments and expert direction and support for complex cases.
We work with your internal structure to ensure injury management systems are effective. Our goal is to ensure workers are returned to work efficiently, responsibly, and sustainably. The outcome is commercially driven strategies developed to support your business goals.
These strategies may involve providing a specific return to work program, designed by our return to work coordinators to help individuals overcome psychological and physical barriers impeding a timely return to work.
When Altius manages your injury response:
Our return to work coordinators work with employees to implement effective self-management strategies for their long-term physical or psychological health and wellbeing.
We provide direct and on-call access to health professionals experienced in dealing with injury management issues.
Arrangements are flexible to include total function management or as an overflow resource for Return to Work Coordinators and/or injury managers.
Service standard agreements are negotiated with a focus on convenience, quality, and value. The net result ensures service expectations are conveyed, processes are clearly acknowledged, and results are closely monitored.
We can provide a range of services to reduce the duration of complex injury management claims - designed to support a return to work or life following an injury.
Altius assists employees in overcoming a range of challenges impacting their transition back to work. Our return to work coordinators bring together the best of industry experience, professional training and creative problem-solving to help employees resume a full and productive life. Intervention is proactive, goal-focused, and cost-effective.
Our return to work coordinators are well-versed in relevant legislation and best practice guidelines to ensure all stakeholders are consulted and considered in the return to work process. Services are also tailored to support human resource risk management strategies and provide financially beneficial and sustainable outcomes.
Our Recovery at Work and Return to Work plans are directive, evidence-based and transparent. We have experience covering injuries occurring in State Workers' Compensation, Federal Comcare and Compulsory Third-Party schemes, as well as those accidents or illnesses covered by life insurance and income protection policies.
Large and small businesses can completely outsource their injury management program by engaging us as their Outsourced Return to Work Coordinator. This suits organisations without internal injury management expertise, or those needing to free up resources. Outsourcing the role is a fantastic way for employers to provide cost-effective and proactive injury management services and helps to:
Save time – so you can focus on your business and clients.
Save money on recruitment, onboarding and skills development costs needed with an internal RTW coordinator.
Reduce strain on internal resources.
Improve return to work outcomes and timeframes – minimising your workers’ compensation premiums.
Provide end-to-end support from incident notification through to employee recovery.
Upon notification, our RTW coordinators will follow the requirements of each state and scheme concerning incident and injury reporting. When required, our team will notify your insurer/agent by lodging the claim forms and required paperwork.
Our team, located in major Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, will manage the claims notification process and provide immediate support to employees and all stakeholders. We aim to reduce your stress when an incident occurs and free up your time so that you can carry on with your usual day-to-day operations.
Altius can also implement strategies to reduce Workers' Compensation premiums, improve safety and deliver commercial gains to your bottom line. We work with organisations to strategically reduce and manage the operational and commercial impact of workplace incidents.
Altius Return to Work Coordinators:
Ensure an employee feels cared for, valued, and supported in their recovery and return to work.
Are trained in communication and negotiation skills, with the expertise to liaise with all stakeholders for timely, durable return to work outcomes.
Ensure you are compliant with regulatory requirements, avoiding potential fines and penalties, and remove the frustration of managing claims internally.
Provide an element of independence - protecting a claims’ progress and knowledge of internal Return to Work procedures in the case of staff turnover.
Have been at the forefront of the injury management industry, delivering outcomes above scheme standards, since 2001.
Working with employers, insurers, and brokers, we assist with managing the bigger-picture complexities of injuries. This includes the impact of physical and psychological injuries on individuals, the workplace, peers, finances, and schemes.
We understand legislation and best practice guidelines and ensure all stakeholders are consulted in the return to work process. Our RTW consultants understand, and seek to manage, claims costs in collaboration with the insurer.
Our qualified and experienced RTW Coordinators:
Manage all stakeholder communication and management to deliver market-leading outcomes for return to work.
Help you reduce the time spent dealing with workplace incidents and reduce workers' compensation premiums.
Improve health outcomes and recovery for employees with an injury or illness.
Minimise disruption of operations for employers following incident or injury.
A Suitable Duties Register is a vital tool for managing workplace injuries and supporting employees through their recovery process. This service helps businesses establish and maintain a comprehensive register that outlines temporary or modified duties that can be offered to injured workers, ensuring they remain engaged and productive while recovering.
The register includes detailed descriptions of available duties, ensuring that tasks are tailored to the employee’s capabilities and restrictions. This proactive approach supports a smooth return to work, reduces the risk of further injury, and aids in compliance with workplace health and safety regulations.
By maintaining a Suitable Duties Register, businesses can promote a supportive work environment, enhance employee wellbeing, and minimise downtime, all while ensuring legal compliance and optimising workforce productivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Altius is a national occupational rehabilitation provider with operations in NSW, VIC, QLD, ACT, SA, TAS, WA, and NT. Building upon this foundational knowledge, our Return to Work Coordinators are certified under relevant schemes to support your compliance and are experienced in providing direct to employer return to work services.
We are a market-leading provider focussed on providing a positive experience through workers' compensation and non-workers’ compensation matters while delivering evidence-based intervention. Through our clinical and industry experience, we have dedicated teams who specialise in physical and psychological claims management.
Our Return to Work Coordinator team includesoccupational therapists,psychologists,exercise physiologists, physiotherapists, nurses, and employment specialists, and work closely with the WHS team to manage and prevent further injury occurrences.
Our Return to Work Coordinator services revolve around delivering high-level care and support, placing our clients at the centre of our practice.
The workplace services we provide to support an individual's return to work include:
WHS/OHS Incident Management
Injury Management Response
Claims Notification and Management
Recovery and Return to Work Planning
Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination
A Return to Work ( RTW ) program is a workplace policy (compulsory in NSW) that details how your organisation manages workplace injuries and return to work. It should include the details of your RTW coordinator, preferred rehabilitation provider and workers' compensation insurer.
This policy must be available to all employees as they will require this information in the event of a workplace injury. It should also include an overview of individuals' responsibilities within the Return to Work program. The requirements for RTW programs differ in each state or scheme. If you’re unsure, please reach out for further information or assistance.
Altius can also be engaged to help businesses across Australia develop and review RTW programs.
Although return to work is great for employers to have a full team, many injured employees often don’t realise they are the ones benefiting from their return to work, experiencing:
A timely recovery
Reduced anxiety and depression
Maintained confidence in their abilities
Improved relationships
A RTW Return to Work coordinator is a designated team member who supports a worker with an injury with a RTW plan made easy for both the employer and employee.
RTWC collaborates with doctors, insurers, and treating professionals, as well as working seamlessly with HR and payroll. RTWCs understand legislation and best practice guidelines to ensure all stakeholders are consulted in the return to work process.
A RTW return to work plan most commonly refers to a document that details a return to work following an injury. This may also be referred to as a suitable duties plan or recovery at work plan.
This plan should be developed by someone with suitable experience to ensure a safe return to work. It should be developed in consultation with the employer, the worker with an injury, the nominated treating doctor, and any treating parties involved with the worker.
To implement the plan, all parties should be agreeable to the duties and recovery timeframes documented within the plan. We strongly recommend regularly reviewing the return to work plan for success, and addressing barriers experienced along the way. It is important to remain open-minded during recovery and work collaboratively to achieve an efficient and durable return to work.
Depends on the complexity of the injury.
Yes, if requested by an employer due to concerns about employee or workplace safety. Under work health and safety, an employer is required to ensure employees are fit and able to perform the inherent requirements of their role.
If a worker has sustained a workplace injury or had any form of absence from the workplace, the employer may request a doctor's clearance. This can also be supported through our functional or medical assessments.
Nevertheless, if it was a minor injury, such as a finger cut, for example, GP clearance may not be needed.
Altius assists organisations of all sizes across a range of industries. Our Return to Work Coordinator Service is fully scalable to meet your demands. We tailor our services to enhance your current Return to Work structure, as well as providing the following:
Site visits, clear and regular communication, claims management administration, Return to Work management and development of Return to Work plans.
Case management expertise for all compensable and non-compensable matters and strategic claims reviews at an agreed frequency.
Monthly reporting summaries for national control and visibility.
Our up-to-date knowledge of regulatory requirements enables us to develop compliant Return to Work programs. This includes outlining the Engaged Return to Work Coordinator's role in recovery at work planning and managing workers with a work-related injury or illness.
Our RTW coordinators help reduce workers’ compensation premiums by ensuring early intervention, reducing time lost on claims, and managing incidents effectively. Altius Group operates across Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, to provide expert injury management that improves return-to-work outcomes and minimises costs.
Yes, small businesses can greatly benefit from outsourcing RTW coordination services to Altius. By outsourcing, businesses in Perth, Canberra, and other Australian cities can save time and resources while ensuring compliance with state regulations. Our RTW coordinators provide comprehensive support from injury notification to employee recovery.
A Return to Work plan outlines the steps an injured employee needs to take to return to work safely. It includes the employee's medical restrictions, suitable duties, and timeframes for recovery. Altius' RTW coordinators across Australia, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Canberra ensure that the plan is developed in collaboration with all stakeholders, including the employee, employer, and healthcare providers.
Having a Return to Work (RTW) Coordinator provides several benefits, including:
Ensuring injured employees receive timely support and return to work safely.
Reducing workers' compensation costs through early intervention.
Helping employers comply with workers' compensation regulations.
Coordinating communication between employees, employers, insurers, and healthcare providers, leading to smoother recovery and return-to-work processes.
Minimising disruption to workplace operations by effectively managing workplace injuries.
Offering businesses the flexibility to outsource injury management to experts when internal resources are limited, such as during periods of maternity leave or staff shortages.
By outsourcing this task, you’ll have more time to focus on your business and clients. Outsourcing the role also improves RTW outcomes and time frames, helps to keep your workers’ compensation premiums down and ensures clients are provided with expert support and guidance in their return to work journey.
Return to Work (RTW) coordination is your roadmap for safely getting injured employees back on the job while they recover. An RTW coordinator serves as the employer's representative, partnering with the employee, employer, and healthcare providers to create a plan that balances recovery with meaningful work. They help cut through paperwork, manage medical updates, and ensure everyone’s on the same page—so your team heals faster and stays productive.
Why Does It Matter? An early, structured return is more than just ticking compliance boxes (though we handle those too). It’s about people. Sitting at home often slows recovery—physically and mentally. RTW coordination keeps employees engaged with modified duties, prevents long-term absences, and protects against the frustration of feeling “left behind.” Plus, it’s cost-effective: fewer compensation claims, less productivity loss, and happier teams.
Why Altius? Our RTW coordinators are experts in workers’ compensation laws and they’re problem-solvers. We step in early, cut through complexity, and focus on what works for your business. By outsourcing to Altius, you get objectivity, confidentiality, and a fresh perspective that turns a messy process into a smooth transition. As result, employees feel supported, employers stay compliant, and workplaces keep on thriving.
RTW coordination is a win-win—better recovery, lower costs, and a team that knows you’ve got their back.
Return to Work (RTW) coordination about creating a smoother, smarter path back to work that benefits everyone.
For employees, RTW coordination means faster recovery through structured, active rehabilitation (because healing thrives on purpose and not feeling stuck at home). It keeps mental health in check by maintaining workplace connections and confidence – no spiraling anxiety or feeling “left behind.” Plus, staying engaged strengthens relationships with managers and teammates, turning “I’m struggling” into “We’ve got this.”
For employers, it’s a triple win. We cut costs by reducing lost days and workers’ compensation premiums, while keeping productivity humming with smartly modified duties. Our team handles the complex and evolving regulatory compliance requirements – from claims paperwork to regulator updates – so you avoid fines and focus on your business. Think of us as your administrative partner: we manage stakeholder communications, build tailored RTW plans, and deliver monthly reports that give national teams crystal-clear visibility – no headaches, no guesswork.
Why Altius?
Because we’re Australia-wide and built for scale. Whether you’re a lean team or a national organisation, our coordinators adapt. We show up with site visits, strategic claims reviews, and real-world expertise that turns messy transitions into clean comebacks. We produce results that make both your people – and your bottom line – healthier.
RTW coordination is an investment in a workforce that bounces back stronger – and a business that doesn’t miss a beat.
If you’re running a business in Australia (or you’re a PCBU – a ‘person conducting a business or undertaking’), you’ve got legal obligations under Workers Compensation ActOne of those obligations? Having a return-to-work program in place.
In NSW, you’ve got 12 months from starting your business as a Category 1 employer to get this sorted. You are a Category 1 employer if you meet one of these criteria:
have a basic tariff premium over $50,000 a year
self-insured,
Insured by a specialist insurer and employs more than 20 workers
Your program isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have. It’s your formal policy for handling work-related injuries or illnesses, showing your commitment to your workers’ health, safety, and recovery.
Here’s what you need to do:
Consult your workers and their unions – your program must be developed with their input.
Align with your insurer’s injury management program – consistency is key.
Follow SIRA’s guidelines – the State Insurance Regulatory Authority sets the rules, so make sure you’re compliant.
Put it in writing and display it – your workers need to know it exists.
A solid return to work program is about keeping your workers healthy, happy, and productive. It reduces long-term absences, saves you money on hiring and training replacements, and shows your team they’re valued. Plus, it’s a win-win – you’ll maintain strong relationships and avoid the financial hit of prolonged worker absences.
A return-to-work program is good for your workers for your business. And it’s the law. So, get it done, do it right, and keep your team (and your business) thriving.
Additionally, regulations vary from state to state; thus, outsourcing the work to a professional RTW coordinator can ensure compliance and consistency across different regions.
Need help? We’ve got you covered. Let’s make it simple.
Creating a return-to-work (RTW) program goes beyond paperwork—it’s about addressing the real, everyday challenges people face. Here’s what Aussie employers commonly struggle with:
Customisation Needs: Every employee’s situation is unique. Crafting a RTW plan that fits their specific injury, illness, and capabilities isn’t one-size-fits-all. It takes time, care, and precision.
Modified Duties: Figuring out how to adjust roles—especially for physically demanding or high-stress jobs—can feel like solving a puzzle. What’s safe? What’s realistic? It’s a balancing act.
Timing is Everything: Delays happen. Whether it’s waiting on equipment, training, or workplace adjustments, time lost can mean progress stalled.
Mental Health Matters: Prolonged absences can take a toll on mental health. Anxiety, depression, or a lack of confidence about returning to work can’t be ignored. Supporting mental wellbeing is just as critical as physical recovery.
Workplace Assessments: Conducting thorough assessments and making necessary changes—like buying equipment or altering workspaces—requires resources and time.
Communication is Key: Staying connected with employees during their absence isn’t always easy, but it’s vital. Consistent, supportive communication reassures them they’re not forgotten.
Resource Constraints: Not every business has a dedicated RTW coordinator. Many rely on HR teams juggling a million tasks or outsourced experts, which can stretch their resources.
Coordination Challenges: Getting everyone—employers, employees, doctors, and rehabilitation providers—on the same page requires effort and alignment.
Social Reintegration: Helping employees reconnect with their team and workplace culture isn’t always straightforward, but it’s important for a smooth transition.
At Altius, we get it. RTW programs are complex, but with the right support, they don’t have to be overwhelming.
A Return-to-Work (RTW) Coordinator is your go-to expert for managing workplace injuries with care and efficiency. Think of them as the bridge between your injured employee, their recovery, and getting them back to work safely and smoothly.
When an injury happens, the RTW Coordinator jumps into action. They then work closely with insurers, doctors, and your employee to create a recovery plan that’s both practical and supportive—addressing not just physical injuries but psychological ones too.
Handling injury claims? They’ve got it covered. They manage the paperwork, meet reporting deadlines, and help keep your workers’ compensation premiums in check. Plus, they design tailored return-to-work plans that fit your employee’s needs while keeping costs down and staying legally compliant.
Communication is key, and your RTW Coordinator is the central point of contact for everyone involved—employers, employees, healthcare providers, and insurers. They keep everyone on the same page, reducing delays and misunderstandings.
By balancing legal requirements, employee wellbeing, and your business needs, an RTW Coordinator ensures a faster, smoother recovery process. This means less disruption, happier employees, and a stronger, more productive workplace.
In short, they’re your partner in turning a challenging situation into a win-win for everyone.
Returning to work after an injury involves both physical healing and a significant psychological transition that deserves equal attention. The longer an employee is away, the harder it can be to bounce back.
Why? Confidence takes a hit. They might worry about forgetting how to do their job or feel isolated from their team. Being stuck at home can lead to depression, anxiety, or even PTSD, which can slow down recovery and make returning to work feel like climbing a mountain.
Mental health and physical recovery are deeply connected. Poor mental health can mean slower healing, while stress about finances or career impact can add to the emotional load. Getting back to work—even gradually—can be a game-changer. It restores social connections, brings back a sense of purpose, and helps rebuild confidence.
At Altius, we know a well-designed return-to-work (RTW) plan is key. Easing back into physical tasks is important, but equally important is providing support for mental wellbeing throughout the process.
Tailored adjustments, regular check-ins, and a focus on collaboration can make all the difference. Our Movement and Work Conditioning Programs include psychological screening and individualised support to ensure your employee feels valued and ready to thrive. Let’s get employees with injury back to work, stronger in body and mind.
