Donna Patterson - Lets Talk Work

Season 4, Episode 5,   Dec 06, 2022, 05:00 AM

Donna’s story is up there with something many of us would say happens in books and films. After returning to the workplace following maternity leave, Donna was in the thick of being gaslit, set up for failure and totally let down by her employer.

Imagine returning to a full-time job on part-time hours and constantly being told ‘you can do it’ - not from a place of flattery, but something far more damaging that left her feeling awful. The impact of roles being offered and never materialising, and feel shut down of options because you’ve dared to procreate.

The headlines share the end result that she got a payout after after legal action where she represented herself. But there’s months of turmoil, horrific practices, the toll on her mental health and cross examining people she’d worked alongside sit behind those headlines. 

Donna is through the other side in many ways and has heaps of new plans for the future, and I’m thrilled she’s sharing them with us today! We also covered some of the expectations she was carrying when she became a parent in the workplace, alongside some of the feelings of not being valued and the silent eye rolls. 

Donna shares first hand examples of what COULD have been done so much better to stop it getting to the stage it did - so employers out there you could walk away with some incredible value add suggestions (that I promise won’t blow your mind and will feel accessible to all!).

You can find out more about Donna through the Lets talk work instagram and her new website.