Comcare Research Program

The Role of Resilience in

Workers Compensation
Dr Peta Odgers
Director Research, Comcare
Australasian Compensation Health Research Forum
Sydney, 10-11 October 2013

Background and Context

Dont Forget
The information contained
within this presentation was
collected through both
quantitative and qualitative
research.

Comcares Research Team was established in 2010 to provide

better insights into the attitudes, behaviours and experiences of
key stakeholders
Comcares research program with injured workers consists of both
quantitative and
qualitative data collection strategies.

The following information represents:

over 3,000 responses to four waves of the Injured Worker
Survey, and
three qualitative pieces of research which examined:
Long Duration Claims
Failed RTW, and
Delays in Claiming.

Its a Fact
Over 3,000 injured
workers have participated
across four waves of the
Injured Worker Survey and
over 50 injured workers
and 6 employers have
participated in our
qualitative research.

Purpose
To highlight some of the key findings on resilience and the role
it plays within workers compensation.
Specifically, I would like to share with you the relationship
resilience has to:
claim cost
return to work, and
recovery experiences.
To share just some insights from the qualitative research around
claimant typologies
Outline some possible actions that have come out of the research

Resilience
Heres an Idea
Resilience could play a key
role in influencing an
individuals recovery from a
workplace injury or illness.

Resilience is usually something which refers to someones ability:

to bounce back or recover from stress,
to adapt to stressful circumstances,
to not become ill despite significant adversity, and
to function above the norm in spite of stress or hardship.
(Smith et al., 2008)

The Brief Resilience Scale was used to categorise respondents as

having:
Its a Fact
The Injured Worker Survey
included the Brief Resilience
Scale a validated measure
designed to assess
individual resilience.

High resilience,
Medium resilience or
Low resilience.

Resilience
Some of the factors associated with resilience include:
Supportive relationships
Ability to make realistic plans and carry them out
A positive view of self and confidence in ones own strengths
and abilities
Communication and problem solving skills, and
Ability to manage strong feelings and impulses.
All of these are important for recovery and RTW
Importantly, resilience can be influenced both positively and
negatively

Point to Ponder
How do we build resilience
in injured workers with the
aim of assisting their
recovery and return to
work?

Resilience Breakdown
Heres an Idea

Point to Ponder
How can we have a positive
impact on an injured
workers resilience?

The four surveys have

shown consistent findings
for resilience among injured
workers in the Comcare
scheme.

Figure 1:- Proportion of respondents in each resilience category.

Its a Fact
In the Injured Worker
Survey, Resilience is
measured at the time of
interview after the injury
or illness.

Most injured workers surveyed were classified as having medium

levels of resilience.
Todays focus will be on the comparisons between injured
workers with low and high levels of resilience.
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Average Cost of Claims

$160,000

$151,155

$140,000
$120,000
$100,000
$80,000
$60,000

$50,728

$40,000
$20,000

$0

Its a Fact

Low Resilience

High Resilience

Ask Yourself

Figure 2:- Resilience by average cost.

The average cost of claims
for those with low levels of
resilience was significantly
higher than for those with
high levels of resilience

Injured workers with low resilience cost around three times as

much compared to injured workers with high resilience

What can we do to both

promote and protect the
resilience of people on
workers compensation?

Average Time Off Work

160

150 weeks
140
120
100
80
60
40

36 weeks

20
0
Low Resilience

High Resilience

Figure 3:- Resilience by average time off work.

Injured workers with low resilience require more than four times
the number of weeks off work compared to injured workers with
high resilience.

Ask Yourself
How can we positively
influence resilience and help
injured and unwell workers
return to work more
quickly?

Injury Type
Point to Ponder
Do low resilience levels
increase an individuals
vulnerability to mental
disease?

Figure 4:- Resilience by injury type.

Ask Yourself

Those with a mental disease claim were:

more than twice as likely to have a low level of
resilience, and
half as likely to have a high level of resilience.

What can we do to promote

resilience among people
with mental disease claim?

Medium Incapacity by Injury Type

140

130 weeks

Heres an Idea
120

Planning and goal setting

can help promote resilience.
Making a plan to return to
work can have an important
role in building resilience in
injured workers.

107 weeks
100

Mental Disease

80

Musculoskeletal
60

Other Injury

52 weeks

Other Disease

40

9 weeks
9 weeks
5 weeks
4 weeks

20

11 weeks
Low Resilience

High Resilience

Figure 5:- Medium incapacity weeks for injury type by resilience.

The medium incapacity of those with high resilience is quite

similar, regardless of injury type
The medium incapacity of those with low resilience is very
different depending on injury type
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Point to Ponder
What role does resilience
play in an injured workers
return to work?

Readiness to Return to Work

Heres an Idea

Point to Ponder

People do not have to be

100% fit in order to RTW,
but they do need to be
ready!

Could returning to work

before they feel ready
impact an injured workers
resilience?

Figure 6:- Resilience by readiness to return to work.

Those with low resilience were less likely to be either physically

or emotionally ready to RTW and more likely to report not being
ready to RTW.

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Ask Yourself

What can we do to better

prepare an injured worker
to return to work?

Qualitative Findings
The survey research program has provided us with some
excellent population level information
The qualitative research program has provided us with insight
into the actual experiences of injured workers

Point to Ponder
How does being on workers
compensation impact
people?

Three projects have been conducted:

Long Duration Claims
Failed RTW, and
Delays in Claiming
Its a Fact

Ask Yourself

There is a strong stigma

associated with workers
compensation , with people
being perceived as a
bludger or a whinger.

What can we do to better

support injured workers?

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Claimant Typologies

Defensive &
Entitled

Strivers

Victims

Temporarily
Floored

Low Resilience
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High Trust in Employer

Low Trust in Employer

High Resilience

Strivers
Go with the flow get on with their job and not complain.

General
Description

Resilient and able to adapt well to change

Cope when challenged with illness or injury through work

Flexible do what they can to adapt and manage the
situation to the best of their ability.
Empowered maintain control over recovery journey
Trust the organisation will play a role in recovery

Key
Characteristics

Pragmatic in their approach

Communicate constructively with all key parties

Experienced tend to be in more senior roles

Achievers/Over-achievers sense of pride, very driven
Supported strong support networks
Ideal group for successful RTW

Potential
Transitions

Still vulnerable can transition towards other less constructive

groups depending on the process experience
E.g. if handled poorly by the organisation, potential to fracture
the level of trust sending them towards Defensive and Entitled
typology.

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The system is there to get you

going while youre healing its
not meant to be a crutch

Temporarily Floored
Everyday resilience cope well with everyday situations,
Anchored strong relationship with organisation & colleagues

General
Description

Easily destabilised coping skills are lower than Strivers

especially with unexpected situations
Holistic focus on recovery and RTW in combination need to
make sure they stop and take a breath before RTW
Worriers concerned that issues will be ongoing

Key
Characteristics

Potential
Transitions

Less empowered than Strivers

Seek support trust the organisation, looking for guidance
Responsible accept all requirements of them
Self-protecting want to RTW, but worry about the conditions
Middle management or admin roles, mid-career or close to
retirement

Potential positive organisational management at all stages

can empower and shift them to Striver territory.
Concern poor management can lead to break down in trust danger of a shift into Victim typology.

15

You feel helpless, frustrated, and

lonely - sometimes you just have
to rely on everyone

Defensive and Entitled

Strong minded stick up for themselves

General
Description

Protective work within boundaries, look after themselves &

recovery first

Assertive quick to learn about entitlements

Cautious wont RTW until they feel completely ready
Resilient in their approach towards return to health over return
to work
Personally empowered to look after themselves appear in
control

Key
Characteristics

Cynical low level of trust in the organisation

Self-determined recover is on their terms well versed in
rights and responsibilities
Reactive may put up barriers easily appear less cooperative

Potential
Transitions

Potential clash with organisation can detract from sense of

empowerment shifting to Victim typology
Potential to shift to Striver if organisation works alongside
them, but harder to move them

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I said point blank that it would

be a graduated return

Victims
Dependent generally more reliance on support

General
Description

Disempowered if anything goes wrong it is everyone else's

fault and out of their control, they have lower resilience levels
Incapacitated when things go wrong
Validation seeking become reliant on the advice of those who
sympathise with their problems
Defeated dont believe they will RTW or that they will recover
More often associated with mental illness
Mistrust noticeable lack of trust in the organisation

Key
Characteristics

Dethatched dont appear to want to be involved in recovery

Institutionalised even agoraphobic
Lower skilled lower ranked position, less responsibility
Poor support weaker social networks

Potential
Transitions

Challenging to shift into more positive typologies

Organisation can transition them to Temporarily Floored with
significant understanding, sympathy, flexibility

I dont believe I will ever work

again
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Keys to Success

Understanding

Corporate Culture

Transparency

Foster Value
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Research into Action

The research program associated with Injured Workers has explored a large range of
issues of which only a few have been presented today. The key actions currently being
explored by Comcare to better support the successful recovery and return to work of
injured workers included:
Developing a conversation tool for our first contact team to better
understand the circumstances of injured workers, implement early
interventions where necessary, set expectations and clarify roles and
responsibilities at the beginning of a claim.

Integrate the concepts of resilience, trust, and the four typologies into
the motivational interactions training being run with Comcares
Claims Service Officers to improve claims management standards,
practices and processes.

Explore strategies for actively building resilience in injured workers and

preventing their involvement in workers compensation negatively
impacting individual resilience.

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It is important for us to remember that it is

easy to become focused on a single point
Such as RTE

such as
RTW

... and this can

be hard!

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So, we need to keep the whole picture,

including the person, in mind

and
we need to
do this
together!

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Thank you!

For more information please contact:

Dr Peta Odgers
peta.odgers@comcare.gov.au

The Comcare Research Team

research.team@comcare.gov.au