Doing what is important for you with Meredith Hammatt – Unions WA (ep 78)

What this episode covers

Sometimes we come across women who we look at from the outside and wonder “How do they do it all?” That’s a bit how we felt reading through the bio for Meredith Hammat.  Not only is she Secretary of UnionsWA, leading that organisation since 2012, she is also a member of a number of boards, mother of two teenage boys and a triathlete!  But Meredith makes it really clear that she isn’t “doing it all”, she’s setting up her life to do the things she wants and loves to do. How? By first working out what is most important to her and then doing what she can to arrange her life to make that happen.  In addition to this fundamental requirement to manage the juggle, we also speak to Meredith about:  * Asking the “Is this important” question both at home and at work * How the juggle changes when your children become teenagers and the need to spend time with your children at all ages * Navigating the return to work after maternity leave * Choosing the right time to have children – is there a right time? * The interaction between workplace policies and the attitudes of managers * Strategies of Unions WA to improve the standards at work for working women such as paid maternity leave and improving the right to negotiate flexible working arrangements * The gender pay gap and the disproportionate value society places on “men’s work”.   Links mentioned in this episode:   * If you want to connect with Meredith Hammat you can find her on LinkedIn or via Twitter  * Find out more about unions at www.unionswa.com.au or on Facebook * The Juggle Community, our online Facebook group * Subscribe to The Juggle Podcast on Apple Podcast, Stitcher or Android  * Find us on Instagram and Facebook * The Juggle website, where you can find all episodes of The Juggle and sign up to be notified when a new episode is released  Happy juggling!