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#189 Ensuring People's Rights at Work with Donna Patterson
Episode 189

#189 Ensuring People's Rights at Work with Donna Patterson

Welcome to the 189th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This month’s theme is Please- Don’t do it! and it’s all about systemic organisational messes that impact negatively on staff and their well-being. This week, I am speaking to Donna Patterson, a fellow TEDx speaker at TEDx London Women, yes a huge achievement.

The Diverse Minds Podcast

April 11, 202336m 25s

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Show Notes

Welcome to the 189th episode of the award-winning Diverse Minds podcast. This month’s theme is Please- Don’t do it! and it’s all about systemic organisational messes that impact negatively on staff and their well-being. 

This week, I am speaking to Donna Patterson, a fellow TEDx speaker at TEDx London Women, yes a huge achievement. 

Listen to the episode

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About my guest

Donna is a mum to two young children and the Founder of Let’s Talk Work, an organisation which helps individuals ensure their rights at work are met. Donna’s story hit the headlines last year after she successfully won an employment tribunal claim against Morrisons; one of the largest supermarkets in the UK, where she worked as a Buyer.

In 2020, Donna experienced discrimination while pregnant, and again when she came back to work after maternity leave, which led to her initially lodging a complaint, and ultimately representing herself in an Employment Tribunal.

Now Donna combines her negotiation skills as a former Buyer for both Morrisons and Asda, with her experience of self-representation in court to help others navigate their workplace challenges and find ways to resolve workplace issues.

Not only does she demystify the self-employment tribunal process, but she also supports people to have difficult conversations at work to help find solutions and drive change in how employers treat working parents.

 

In today’s show

  • About Irene and what she's working on at the moment [01:50]
  • How to protect yourself from rejection. [07:27]
  • The importance of understanding the equality act. [11:19]
  • Advice for people who are struggling with mental health. [21:40]
  • Her top three tips for looking after her mental health. [31:50]

 

Quotes

  • I try to be aware of how I'm feeling and take myself away from something when I feel that it is getting too much.
  • I think the problem is that many organisations don't necessarily prioritise the people, they are so focused on metrics.
  • There's a massive opportunity for employers to do better.
  • Ultimately, the most important thing is that the person is taken care of and that they can get the closure that they need.
  • I think it's really important to recognise people in your life who are understanding and will listen.

Resources

Work with me

Have a look at my online work-life balance course on Thinkific. You can access it here: http://bit.ly/DMMHPONC

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