Creating a trauma-informed workplace: The role of a rehabilitation and return to work coordinator

By adopting a trauma-informed approach, rehabilitation and return to work coordinators can help create psychologically safe workplaces that reduce injury risk, build trust, and improve return to work outcomes, particularly for workers recovering from psychological injuries or trauma.

Best practice

Rehabilitation and return to work coordinators play a key role in leading conversations, planning, and policy development related to rehabilitation and return to work.

This means acknowledging that trauma can impact how people think, feel, and respond to situations, especially in high stress situations and/or following an injury.

What does this look like in practice?

• Understand the impact of trauma on behaviour and communication and respond without judgment.
• Prioritise safety, both psychological and physical, when planning rehabilitation and return to work.
• Use consistent, calm, and transparent communication to build trust.
• Offer choice and involve the worker in decision making to support control and empowerment.
• Collaborate with treating practitioners to understand what workplace adjustments may support recovery.
• Apply a person-centred approach to planning, recognising that the same injury may affect people in different ways.

This approach is not about being a therapist. It’s about taking a human approach and creating a safe space for recovery and building the worker's confidence to re-engage with work in a meaningful way.

Why this is important

Trauma is more common than we may realise, particularly among frontline workers and those with complex injury claims. A trauma-informed recovery and return to work process helps avoid retraumatisation, reduces fear, and increases the likelihood of sustainable work outcomes.

Without this approach, workers may:

• withdraw from conversations or delay their return to work
• misinterpret workplace behaviours as threats
• feel unsafe, mistrusted or overwhelmed
• be at greater risk of secondary psychological injury.

By contrast, a trauma-informed workplace fosters a culture of respect, trust, and safety that benefits not just the individual worker, but the broader workplace.

What actions can I take now?

Creating a trauma informed workplace doesn’t require clinical training. It starts with a human approach, awareness and a willingness to adjust how you engage with workers during their recovery.

Here’s how you can start:

• Undertake trauma-informed care training to build your awareness.
• Avoid using overly clinical or administrative language when discussing recovery and capacity.
• Create recovery plans that support predictability and minimise exposure to triggers.
• Ask workers what helps them feel safe and respected, and incorporate that into planning.
• Work collaboratively with health professionals to shape suitable duties that protect psychological wellbeing.
• Promote a workplace culture where psychological safety is valued equally with physical safety.

Your toolkit

Follow these 5 steps to guide the way when responding to mental injuries at work:

• Phoenix Australia provides courses for professionals working in settings where supporting trauma recovery is central to care. These courses are designed for frontline workers, managers, and leaders aiming to embed trauma-informed care across their organisations.
• Mental Health Foundation Australia offers monthly 'Lunch & Learn' webinars on pressing mental health issues, focusing on community-minded and solution-based approaches.
• This free webinar offers insights into the prevalence and impact of trauma, principles of trauma-informed care, and their implementation in individual work and organisational policy.
• Access a free course designed to raise awareness about the unique psychological challenges faced by frontline workers, including first responders.
• This free webinar series provides health professionals with skills to address mental health care using various brief interventions. Each session discusses specific interventions and offers tips on effective usage with patients.