NSW Return to Work Manager

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Claudia

Well-Known Member
11 September 2014
17
3
74
Is there any regulations, best practices or anything that I can avail myself to for help.
I have been on a return to work plan for about 5 months, going really well. This was my second attempt at RTW, the first post was a humiliating experience, basically there was no stoned unturned to make me feel unwelcomed, amongst many other things, the manager would not even issue me with a security pass for the building. I had to sign in as a visitor. She would bring up my ‘increase’ in work hours almost daily, eventually I caved in increased my hours very quickly and with that the increased exposure to her treatment. I went off work again.

Now 5 months into a successful posting, she transferred into the team I’m currently in, called a meeting about my duties, without me. Attempted to take over managing my without notice or discussion with me about the change . And did her best spiel to my rehab provider that she should be allowed at my medical conferences despite the return to work officer’s attendance. I’m sure I will pay for declining her attendance and also because my rehab put an 8 Wk lead time into a change of management in a plan. it. In this same week my pay forms that I submitted in plenty of time we’re not forwarded to the pay office in time and I was short payed. This has not happened before.
I want to continue to work, I know there are suitable duties lined up for me ( I’m about to finish the project I’ve been working on) but working with someone who undermines my dignity and (from past experience) will try to bully me to increase my hours, and cause additional stress e.g pay issues. Things are not looking good for me. Any insights on managing this issue highly appreciated.
 

Martis

Well-Known Member
28 November 2025
555
0
2,086
Ahhh return to work manager — classic workplace compliance + spaghetti vibes 😅 Suddenly it’s not just about getting back on the floor, but RTW plans, medical certificates, duties adjustments, and communication all doing a cha-cha 👀

Most headaches come from upstream fuzziness: vague role scopes, informal RTW policies, or “eh we’ll figure it out later” vibes. Once HR or FW gets involved, it’s a tangle of timelines, documentation, and obligations 😬

Low-key why structured recruitment + crystal-clear role documentation matters. Platforms like AcademicJobs.com are actually clutch — formalised position descriptions, transparent RTW protocols, and compliance-aligned pipelines make return-to-work processes way smoother from day dot, especially in academia/research roles where workloads and multi-stakeholder reporting can get… messy 😅

Anyway, loving this convo — return to work manager nuance deserves way more airtime than it usually gets 😂