What's in this template

A fill-in return to work plan for Australian employers, in four parts:

Key information and medical advice  worker, claim, contacts, and what the treating practitioner has certified. Return to work goals — what the worker is working towards, and by when.

Suitable duties and adjustments — what changes about the work, and about the workplace. Review, actions and sign-off — who does what, when you check in, and who signs.

Includes prompts for the goals conversation and worked examples for duties and milestones.

How to use it

Print it and complete the parts in order, with the worker in the room. Fill in every field or write "not applicable" — a blank field is a decision nobody has made yet.

Turn the certificate into named duties, set hours and a review date. "No heavy lifting" isn't a restriction; write down the weight, the frequency and when you'll review it.

Keep the completed copy where the people applying it can find it. Workers compensation is state and territory based, so confirm what your scheme requires before you finalise the plan.

Why it matters

A worker is injured on Tuesday. By Friday there's a certificate, a call with the doctor and a rough agreement about half days. None of it is written down.

Three weeks later the supervisor thinks they're cleared for full shifts, the worker thinks they're on four hours, and the insurer has nothing on file.

Notification clocks are short and start the moment you know — in NSW the insurer must be notified within 48 hours of a work-related injury being reported. A written plan is the difference between a recovery everyone is working towards and a dispute nobody can resolve.

FAQs

Who's it for?

Return to work coordinators, HR and people leaders, supervisors applying restrictions on the floor, and owner operators carrying the coordinator role themselves.

What do we need from the treating practitioner?

Nature of the injury, current capacity, specific restrictions (weights, postures, repetitions, durations), estimated timeframes, how to increase duties safely, and anything else affecting recovery. Send them the actual task list, not just a fitness-for-work question.

What counts as suitable duties?

Duties the worker can do safely today, written down with hours attached. You have three levers: tasks, hours and pacing. Meaningful work beats invented light work.

Does it work for psychological injuries?

Yes. A psychosocial injury needs suitable duties, adjustments and a review date the same way a torn shoulder does.

Do we need signatures?

In some states and territories, agreement must be documented. Check your scheme before you file the plan.

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