Hello, my name's Santasha Nabananga Bamblet. I'm a proud yor
the Order Kerni Whoalbury and a waddery woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on a wondery country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through as this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow.
Let's get into it.
She's on the Money, She's on the Money.
Hello, and welcome to She's on the Money, the podcast that makes finance fun, especially on Fridays. It is actually our favorite day of the week because we get to get our little team together and celebrate you guys, our incredible She's on the Money community today, mister gour She's got a heap of money wins to share with us.
Miss Bech Sayed is going to share her broke TIBs and we'll be helping to answer a money dilemma, which this week is all about navigating buying a property on your own and someone slid into our dms needing advice on whether you should ask for reduced hours at work to avoid burnout or just push through it. I feel like that's a fickle conversation, but we're going to get there later. Last week on the show, we read out some five star reviews and I got a few dms
of people saying, we love this. It's such a positive energy. I think we're going to continue. So I did message you guys before the show and say, please read our reviews and obviously call your mums and friends and stuff to post them, because god forbid we ever run out of five star reviews to read out. But Bech sayed, yes, what do you bring into the table this weight?
Okay, so this one is from Tracy, and I really liked this one because I feel like the intro to the show does mention millennials, but this really is a reminder that this is for everyone. Yes, okay, So I'm forty five and have spent so many years feeling ashamed and anxious around my money management abilities. I had none in brackets. I love listening to your advice on the podcast, and the money direisauries are super interesting. So I really
like that one because from Yeah, this is from Tracy. Hi, Tracy, Hi, Tracy.
Welcome to the show, and oh my god, no, everyone's welcome. Why we just updated the intro of this episode to the podcast that makes personal finance fun, especially on Fridays, instead of millennials who want financial freedom, because we're more than millennials.
Everybody wants financial freedom.
By everybody else. I can't find someone who doesn't want to be financially free. Maybe Lucy she is, She's an epo baby. Lucy's my dog. For those of you following the last who might feel a little bit behind, we are not calling a human being an epobaby because that would be rude and I would definitely only do that off Mike, Miss Jess, what have you got?
Alrighty? This week I picked out one that says I thought I was relatively good with money until I was recommended this podcast. They simplify complex content into an easy to understand format. I can't believe the difference that this has made to our finances and our thinking. Isn't that so sweet? From a Smith?
Oh a Smith, thank you. I always laugh at people's user names because, like sometimes it is their name like yours bec and then sometimes it's like their username that they've made up, like I think mine is like toz dog or something really bad, because like when I got my first iPhone, I would have been like sixteen and I set up my Apple profile, then slippery slope, I reckon.
Oh yeah, maybe we can keep an eye out for the funniest user name as well.
Yes, if you've got a funny user name, it is actually time to leave us a five star review. I have one. It is from Mish. I mean, if we're talking about using names, Mish, mush is hot. Think it's really cute too. It's actually one of the things that got me to read it out. But they said thank you for all your advice, wisdom, pep Talk's cheer and of course financial support every week. I love this podcast. In fact, it's the only one I religiously listened.
To Oh so cute, very sweet because it's.
Practical and relatable. It has helped me improve and set up many financial aspects for my young family. So thank you so much. This podcast has inspired me to look into doing finance courses. The pod is very motivating. One day I dream to meet VD and the team as they are truly truly incredible. Thank you for your support and help this year. Is that so cute? Oh my gosh, I know. And do you know what I was talking about last week? And I probably shouldn't be sharing on
the show, but you get what you get. We were talking about when we can do events again. Yeah, oh yeah, And so like, I'm obviously not going to make promises, but obviously last year, I had a baby in late February and historically we've always done the International Women's Stay events, which happened to fall in and around the eighth of March, so I was, what ten days postpartum. That was probably
not going to work for me. But we're talking about what we can do in the next year because one of the things when we did a little bit of a planning session with the team, one of the things that came out of that was like, we want to get in front of our community. We want to see you guys again. So hopefully mish Mush that happens for us really soon. Yeah, oh my god, not that soon. Imagine if she's on the money Christmas party, that would be really everything would be DIY like.
Arts and craft, stocking, stocking, open bar Corinthians.
Okay, long long leap there, let's actually get into what was happening in our community this week, Miss Jessicarricci, what money wins are you bringing to the table, all rady.
First one this week I have is from Jesse, who said I recently canceled my membership at a yuki studio. They had a six year cancelation fee, which I would have normally been charged. I let them know that the reason I was canceling in the first place was because of financial reasons and asked if they was any opportunity for them to not charge the fee. That's smart, really smart, and what happened? The yoga studio said, okay, no problems.
They didn't charge her the fee. Jesse said that never sees is to amaze me how much money you can save when you ask for something kindly, money exact.
That's sweet.
Yeah, that's good. That's a good one. It's a really good one. Next, I've got one from em Marie who said she's unfortunately been out of work for around a year now because of a chronic illness. And sorry, I know it must be really, really hard, but it's on the up and up because She said, a new medication has become available in Australia. It's on the PBS and it has improved her from being essentially bedbound to being able to get out and live her life again.
Oh my gosh, that's so exciting. And the fact that it's on the PBS means it's not going to break.
The bank exactly. She said, she's had it for five weeks and she made the phone call on Friday and she's finally going back to work.
That is actually illy. I think that's my favorite money win incredbit a very very long time.
Yeah, that's huge. Next, I've got a money in from Shanni, he said, I have the pass up. It's a system where you get vouchers that you can spend it participating pubs and local places. She booked a birthday bottomless brunch at the SB so she must be a Melbourne gowp Hello at the start of the year and she checked on the app the other day and didn't realize it was a part of the platform and she was entitled Twitter hundred dollar about us.
Oh what.
Really cool.
That's a lot of drinks at your bottomless brunch. I bet happy happy birthday.
Very exciting Jesse is a bottomless I feel like a bottomless brunch sounds elite. I want to go out to it. I'm going to have a good time. But like the bottomless part, I'd be like too Champayne zine and I'd be like, I'm done now, thank you for having me.
Brunch with a singular drink is a bottomless brunch for.
Me, Like one done too. She's out bets like make the most of the soda waters.
Yeah, exactly.
Thinks I've got a money win from Carlie. She said she started very slowly to invest on Chase eas. She used the sootm coage you got a ten doll about you, and she said she's excited to be learning as she goes and to stop procrastinating.
Oh my god, how good. But also ten dollars for free we did that, I would say, no, that's literally a money in that everyone can use this week. Yeah, that's so everyone that's not already on the sharesas platform. And if you're thinking, oh, I wish I could have that, but I'm already on the Charesseas platform, well you're already investing, so you're the real winner here.
Ahead of time. Absolutely, and apparently Carli found a really great sustainable ETF that she said was right by colleag great Queen. And then lastly this week I have a money win from Tara who said she helped her mum and her sister to create their own budgets so they can take control of their finances. Oh lovely. Whenever I read a message or a comment saying someone's like teaching someone that they know stuff, I feel like we're spreading the good word of financial litera.
Yeah, really, yes, welcome to the Church of the exactly.
What I think.
Literally literally, don't we have a Bible?
That's what we're a religious cold con.
No order your copy. It comes out at the end of November.
Religious cult.
Buy our stuff and also go forth my children.
For I was like, else can I.
Put in here.
This?
Maybe we should start an m l M or something like, Yeah, might be easier, more profitable. Definitely, Like then we could say yes to all the dodgy companies that want to work with us. Yeah, true, hit me up, hit me moving on. I love that, Jess. I feel like anytime someone says I helped someone make a budget, I'm like, I love you. You're an icon, You're an icon. Beck, let's move on to you. Okay, okay, let's go. I wantn't know what break Tipsy bringing to the table because
you have a very scary little palm card. She has a palm card. You have a post it note?
Yes, And I always do this to myself. I always like, write in shorthand and you're writing there, yeah, well this, actually I can't. I'll never be able to read this again.
Can you write in shorthand? Or when you say you wrote in shorthand, wrote because I was like, I can read shorthand.
Well, when I say shorthand, I mean I just start with the first letter, and then I get lazy and then.
Oh yeah, I feel bad for the team sometimes because I'll write notes actually in shorthand and they're like, what is this And I'll be like, oh, yes, I used to do secretary duties.
I see that's cool.
It is cool, but only I can read my own notes.
Sure their secret Hey, that's like a that's like knowing another language to talk about someone without them knowing it's true. That's really cool somehow, Jess, you always like your money win will always kind of run the same.
Way, the same so it's almost like we were meant to be together.
Yeah.
Absolutely, that's really lame bye, but it's true.
So these these are all very birthday themed birthday yeah adjacent, well actually just birthday themed. So the first one comes from Heather who says, there's a restaurant group. Now I don't know the name of this restaurant group, but for example, Studio Omarro in Windsor, if you book a table for your friends and you say that it's your birthday, everyone at the table gets a free drink.
Oh, how cool. That's cool. That's something to look into too, because they are in lots of states and territories there are restaurants that have like birthday deals.
That's cool.
Yeah, definitely, definitely I should have said yes, absolutely. So a lot of these are, like, you know, very Melbourne based, but that's.
Okay because like, that's okay, sure Melbourne aren't that cutting edge leader. Yeah, like giving people a free drink because they booked a group table can't be that revolutionary, but it should be something that we're all looking into next time we have to book a group table, because how good is that free round of drinks?
I know, I know, that's really so good. Free soda waters yeah, free soda waters. I mean, hopefully can get that any day. But this next one is, you know how I don't know if you guys remember, but a few weeks ago I was like, I will occasionally bring up ones that have been mentioned just because they keep coming up, so just in case other people haven't heard about these. So this next one is better be good.
It better be worth the repeat.
I reckon so in particular with Boost and other places. I'm sure, like you know, any kind of like franchise hospitality place will do free food or drink.
But we have a whole thread in our Facebook group which you can search in the search bar. Everybody's dumped all of the hot tips and tricksy places that you didn't think we're going to be on there too, can.
Eat it for free for like a whole day. It's brilliant. Can I really do that?
Right?
Like one of you needs to take it for the Team and Money diary. A whole day of eating for free, like it's your birthday. You're going to pancake pile for breakfast, You're getting a Boost for morning tea, You're going out to somewhere else for lunch. I want to see dinner I also want you to go as far as doing activities, I know, like time Zone, get through free coins, like there are going to be things that you could do for free, genius.
Fake email, see what we can do it?
Do it.
Jess is going to do it.
Obviously, be careful about links you click, but do pay attention to your drunk folder and around the end up in there, and always end up in there. Ten percent off random places interested in. So your birthday just brings all the really really cheap things or great deals.
I love this, So know what's next?
Okay, So my yeah yesterdays at h them with Michael Franchess and she was buying for a house.
Did you guys?
I didn't know they had a homeware section, but good, the big one in the city and they haven't.
They nice, really nice.
But we were like walking around.
I was like my house, your girlfriend, Yes, I love.
That, And you know, like sometimes you're just not I was just so tired, not in the mood. I was like carrying like all these plates and all this stuff.
Yeah, I know where she brought you now exactly. I'm onto her in my head.
I was like, I really hope she just changed their mind randomly anyway, and then I saw this sign and that said on your birthday, get twenty five percent off. And I said, to her birthday's coming up in like two weeks. I was like, oh my god, if you just come on your birthday, you will get all this sweep. Anyway, we walked out with nothing, and I was really happy about going.
We we'll be going back on her birthday. On a birthday, but so you've just found a cheap activity to do on her birthday. Yes, you're purchasing something, but like that's a whole like activity, that's the whole morning.
Actually it does last two weeks from the day of your birthday.
Did I just hear that you've got someone in your realm of contacts that's got a birthday coming up that likes free things? Huh? I have a later object for you.
Oh my god, you sure do.
Okay, let's well, let's do.
That, all right, content Queen. We'll talk about this later.
Yeah, okay, we'll hit me up nineteenth, which is a day after ninthy October. I'll be letting you know ho.
I love that. I love that Happy Burthday. In advanced Jess, not this Jess out of Jess. Yes, I have something to add to this. Actually, if I have been talking a lot about the cost of cards, so I hate last minute forgetting to buy someone a birthday card because, like jess Beck, if you ever binge walleies and bought a card, right seven dollars exactly right, that is insane.
But recently I have implemented the birthday book in our house. Okay, so I went to Kmart and I bought these empty books, so the not the cheapy like activity books or sorry, like exercise books you'd have for your kids at school, like something a little fancy. I got like a hard cover book, and I've written on the front of them birthday book. One staves one's mind. One is our kid, Harvey's.
And every year, instead of buying each other cards, we're going to fill out a page in the book and write each other letters and that's going to become the cards. So I foresee us saving a lot of money on cards. Also, my husband now has no excuse to not get me a perfectly handwritten note for my birthday slay from me.
But two, isn't that such a cute memory gift? That's really I was thinking you could literally gift on one a birthday book, wrap it up, do a first letter, make it really cute, and that could be a really thoughtful birthday present.
That's really cute. Probably the relationship exactly.
It could probably also keep it as an idea in the back of your head for Christmas.
That's actually fantastic.
Imagine giving that to your partner, and I mean in the day.
Front cover of the book, like make it all personal.
Yeah, in my head, it works best when that person lives with you or like is a very close contact, because like if I bought it for like, you know, my mum, I'd have to be like, oh, can I come pick up your birthday book? Like that's I don't live with her anymore. But for my husband, I know where it is. I know we all keep it. So I'll just go sneak that away writing his birthday book and regift it every single year. But it's got an update. You could do like some scrap booking things in there.
You could cut and paste some things. I'm just excited that Harvey is going to get like this book of letters over his lifetime that I've written for him every year on his birthday.
So cute.
That's really really frugal money tip. I reckon Oh yeah, awful tip.
I'm thinking I'll do that for likenes. I'm on everything.
Oh you can come like a whole book like it's not just like for Christmas. It could be for like any time instead of a letter.
Off note, Oh of love.
No, this idea so cute. That is very very wholesome. All right, let's go to a really quick break on the flip side. We're going to be talking about navigating buying property on your own. And someone asked in our DMS whether you should be asking for reduced hours at work to avoid burnout or just pushing through, so don't go anywhere.
Welcome back, everybody. Let's take a listen to this week's money dilemma.
Hi.
There, have you got a money dilemma you just can't solve? The Sheese on the Money team is here to help.
Every week, we tackle your dilemmas, both big and small, to answer your most burning money, career and life questions. To get involved, simply head to our website and leave us a short voice recording and you might just yourself on the show.
Now, let's take a listen to this week's money dilemma.
Hi, she's on the money. Absolutely love your pod. My boyfriend and I in our thirties and not having kids. He's buying a house for us both to live in. I will contribute nothing to the deposit and will not own any of it. Our idea was that I will save up to buy my own investment property, and I'm about two years off having the deposit. My boyfriend has been charging me cheap rent to live in his apartment
to help me reach my goal. However, I'm crunching the numbers on a mortgage and I don't see how I can pull it off alone. Assuming I get rent money from tenancy in my apartment, which may not even cover the whole mortgage. I will also be paying rent to my boyfriend and paying for the strata council.
Rates, water, etc.
From my apartment. If we broke up and I moved out, I'd have to pay for rent for a place to live as well as my mortgage. Because I can only afford an apartment in a random state where I don't live. I feel like if I buy, I'm barely going to have any money left over to save or do anything fun. I feel like it's too hard to do it alone. If I'm not going to be living in the property. My boyfriend will not budge on the idea of buying a house alone. I like the idea of investing my
money instead. I already invest in a range of ETFs and add to this on a regular basis. But is that a good use of my savings or should I wait for the future for the mortgage as I get a pay rise every year? I struggle with the societal pressure to buy, and buy asapp I don't even want to. What would you advise?
Thanks, Oh, I've got a really easy answer, because she said she doesn't want to. Don't She said, I'm struggling with the societal pressure of purchasing a house and I don't even want to. And I think the simple answer there is I would be putting the brakes on that plan at this point, because it's clearly putting a lot of pressure on you and you don't even know if you want to do it properly yet. Unless you're all in on purchasing property, you should absolutely not be doing it.
Like I'm going to use Just as an example, because I often use Just as an example of a home buyer, right, I know, not her inside out but I know her property goals inside out, and I know that buying a property is one of or is her biggest goal at the moment. Right. I don't think that if we said is it societal pressure, just going to go no, absolutely not right, Like that's not it. But it's so a value to you. And so the extra fees and whatever cost is being incurred, Jess has allocated for that, and
that's just part of the journey. Whereas this money diarist or this person who has written in, which is very kind of you to do so, because I love hearing from our community, but you've written in and you've said, I don't really know if I want to do this, And I think that that's where I need to remind you that you don't have to. And I guess that's what she's on The money is all about. It's creating your own journey, writing your own pathway, creating your own narrative.
Like your partner might be fully into property, but you might go, well, that's not my journey, that's not for me. What I want is to invest in shares, and like if we put it down on a piece of paper, the Australian share market returns more than the Australian property market. So you're not making a terrible decision when you say, is that a good use of my savings? Well, only you can tell me that. I can't say yes unequivocally because you might go, well, actually, my savings are better
used here. And here I recorded a money Darry Actually before you guys came into the studio to do the Friday episode, I was talking to the diarist and you guys will hear this on the show soon. She had
one hundred thousand dollars in savings. Obviously a lot of context dismissing here, but one hundred thousand dollars in savings and she had a forty thousand dollars car Loan and I talked to her about at the end, I said, I need to know, like, why haven't you just used your savings to pay down your high interest car loan. She was like, well, they're giving me a lot of
financial security. They're making me feel really secure, Like my partner and I want to have a kid in twelve months or so, and you know we're planning on, you know, changing our lifestyle. I think just sitting on the cash for us is working better at the moment, and it gives us a level of financial security.
That's fair.
That's so fair, Like she's happy to pay for her car loan and my job at she's on the money, or my self elected job because I did this myself. Right is to give you every single tool and resource that you you deserve to make the decision that's right for you, not on paper what the right decision is.
Because if we'd looked at my money diarrest story on paper, I think we could all agree forty thousand dollars carload at more than nine percent interest, Yeah, paid off, but her values were not that and that's fine, Like there's literally no judgment. But also I can't tell you whether it's a good use of your savings because only you can tell me that. And the only way you're going to be able to tell me that is if you understand your values and if you sit down and go, well,
I did say don't want property? Why use that? Why do I feel this pressure to have property? You've listed off all of these negative examples you didn't give me in that message. One positive. You didn't say, I'd really love property, give me a sense of freedom. You didn't say any of that you just said, my partner's buying, I'm going to buy or have a deposit in two years, and hear all the negatives. I'll have to pay this, this, this, and this, and here's the bad outcome if we break up.
Like anyway, I'm sorry to have in there. I just felt like, I completely that was so driven by the pressure that you feel to own property, not the reality, which is you probably don't want that. And a share portfolio sounds like it's going to work for you because that's what you said you were interested in.
Totally.
I was just going to say, like, obviously, I'm not in this position, so I'm not the best to give advice. But I just think if you're doing anything because of some arbitrary societal rule, you will forever just be so deeply unhappy. If I was following every societal rule and you guys were as well, Like I would be in a dress right now, and I would be, you know, just like all dress.
I'd be so confused.
Things would be wrong, things would be very wrong. It just like, yeah, all these things would just like that that make you inherently happy because of your own personal preference. You don't need any societal pressure.
To do, he would you be making happy people that don't.
Know you exist, you know exactly. The people in your world that love you don't care about that stuff. So I think, like, if you don't feel the urge to buy a property inside yourself, like you don't feel that craving, then I would just not do it and say that because a lot of people I feel like a lot of people and hopefully it's not as popular or like, sorry, not as common anymore. But women who want to leave their husbands maybe can't because financially they don't have the
ability to. But if you have that there, and you know, touch Wood, something happens in the future and you break up and you have all that money and you're like, I need to live by myself. Now you are able to buy yourself a little, one bitter apartment in a place. And I think that this person also said that they wouldn't be able to afford to live in the place they want to live.
Yeah, it sounds like they would rent best.
Yeah, So I'm like, if you have all that money, you might be able to stay in the place that you want to stay, and you'd be able to be fully financially independent because you do have this money, I so keep saving it, don't buy. And I feel like investment property means it's investing in You know, you're like, you're better in your financial future, but I just but it should be better in your life in well, yeah, I just I think so that you don't have to
do that. You shouldn't have to do that to make it.
Taylor Swift like, you can reinvent yourself. Like if you are in a situation where you're like, I just don't want to buy right now, doesn't mean you can't change your mind. She was country queen right and then she went to being pop icon. She changed, She decided she wanted to do something different and just did it. So you just do that later if you choose to change your mind, if you go, well, I don't want to buy property, don't even a few years. As you said,
you're going to get a pay rise every year. If in a few years that's really financially viable, and you're like, oh I'm into this.
Now do it then totally.
But you know what you've done, You've given yourself the financial freedom to make that decision at that point by investing along the way.
Exactly just what would you do. I, yeah, I can, like I would buy the property. Nobody completely agree with what you're both saying is that you need to make a choice. It's right for you, and anyone who loves you is not going to pressure you into making a decision.
My best guess would be maybe that your partner thinks that they're helping you get ahead, Like maybe they've got kind of a plan in their mind, and they're not seeing that it's not you know, the giving you cheap rent and stuff like in their minds, they might be thinking that they're furthering you so that you can have your own property and I'm going to have give you a say, well yeah, like and maybe in their mind that gives you a bigger sense to each own your
own property so that if something does happen, you both have something. Maybe that's where they're coming from. But if they love you, of course they're not going to want
you to do something you don't want to. So I think like having that conversation with them, and then on a broader scale, maybe you know, saying to them, hey, like, I understand that maybe you were trying to help me get ahead by giving me a cheaper rent or by covering these bills or whatever, so that I could achieve that part of you know, kind of plan that you maybe thought that we would have or that would be
great for us. If that's not what I want to do, Like I'm so happy to be an equal partner, Like I'll pay market value rent, like I will split things. We can put you know, a BFA or some kind of agreement in place to protect your property that you have, because maybe that's a point of concern for them. So I think maybe you know, being grateful that they want to help you get ahead, because I'm hoping that that's where that's coming from, but also explaining to them that's
not what you want and that's okay. Like, if you don't want to buy a property, do not buy a property. It's a lot of work, like having and maybe I'll change my mind later. It's not completely off the table, No thing is. But maybe I'm just not here on the same journey as you, and that's actually so fine. Yeah, investing in shares is also a great investment option if
that's more aligned to you. It's your money, and ultimately you have to do what feels right for what you want and what feels good and I think just communicating that to your partner and you're being prepared to find a middle ground in terms of the living situation might be the best way to go.
Completely agree with you, amazing should get to this.
Wee's money.
Oh my gosh, Yes, I have been waiting for this one. Are you ready?
Absolutely?
Okay, Hi, she's on the money team. I have a DM for you. I'm currently in my first year of full time work and it's been so hard transitioning into it, and I am exhausted. I'm currently undergoing ADHD and autism diagnosis. I've gotten to a point where I'm on the brink of burnout and I want to ask for my contracted hours to reduce two hours per week to have a nine day fortnight. I already work longer hours during the week to have a shorter day on Fridays, so I'm
not bothered by longer hours to have an IDO. Financially, I can cop one hundred and fifty less ish a fortnight. I also know of older people in the business with part time or four day contracts, but I'm really worried about the prejudice and judgment that might come with this decision, as I have no dependence and have mentioned struggles, but most people say just push through it. I feel like my reasoning may limit me in progressing in my career. I'm in engineering. Do you have any advice on this?
My god, this has been such a thing for me this week in particular, but always it is my biggest thing. Four day work week because I think sure back in the day, in the year, older times when one person would work, usually a man and the woman, and would stay home usually with the children, do all the house stuff, so both parties working full time, but kind of like tackling different things.
Now, yeah, you can just say it how it was.
Yeah, well now it's like one person you've got to do, say Friday, Sabbath day of rest. Well, you cannot anymore because you have Friday. Maybe you go out, maybe you don't, but that day is taken up by work, let's be honest. And then Saturday is one day where you don't have work the day or the day after, so you can maybe have some fun with your friends. Sunday, maybe you're resting, but you'll still got.
To go to the laundry, the church, the kids church.
That day you do, but you've got all the life, addamin all the chores, everything that you weren't able to get done. Also, a lot of businesses are closed on that day, so you you just where do you find time? Anyway, a four day work week, a three day weekend is probably essential at this stage, I would say. But also I don't want to be that person. You know, everyone does have a different level of on your workload, depends on your work depends on so many things.
Yeah, and like on the flip side, someone else might go, I don't want to have to do ten hour days. I'd much prefer to spread that across five days. I mean, each to their own. But I do believe in flexibility where it makes sense. Jess, what would you do?
I think that I totally understand where they're coming from, because, firstly, congratulations, I'm working towards your formal identification of being somewhere on the spectrum that's very exciting, even though it can feel very intimidating as well. But I think that firstly, it's really important to note that within like fair work legislation, there is literally like legalities that prevent you from being discriminated against because of different abilities, different things like that.
And so if there is a concession that is needed for you as a part of your formal diagnosis, and you can have a doctor, a psychologist whoever you're seeing psychiatrists, sorry, provide some evidence of that. It actually can't be denied.
You know, there's a lot of nuance there. Like I'm being very general with that, but you know, if you need something to be able to facilitate your job, and it is able to be facilitated, which it sounds like it can be because you said there's the people on the four day contracts and part time contracts and stuff, it should be an option for you, just in terms of being allowed. I know that our listener's bigger issue was the bias that they might encounter in the workplace,
and that is a much trickier beast. I would say that I think society has come a long way in being respectful and understanding of the fact that really we all exist somewhere on a spectrum and everyone has different needs and different preferences and different things. None of us fit.
The MA team is so neurospiasedally, and I think like the fact that the standard traditional nine to five, five day workweek was invented, however many years ago when people were literally working in almost like favery men men specifically, like even just things.
Like pyomen shouldn't have jobs. No, a job is seen the home.
Yes, you know, I think that I completely agree it is a very like outdated way, and I think that a lot of workplaces really are working towards being more flexible and more compromising, and so are people individually. Like if you ask anyone in this room, for example, if that was a problem, not one of us would any But I do understand when you're in a corporate space, and particularly if you're in the engineering space, which is a male dominated industry, you might already be facing some
challenges there around biases and things like that. I totally get the concern, but I think ultimately burnout is so damaging to you, like mentally, physically, emotionally. I would say that to not have to suffer through that, it is almost worth the risk of coming up against a few.
People because like, if you just suffer through it, you might end up losing your job completely, like you might not be able to work. And I don't mean to be too dramatic, but you might end up in a really bad situation that has a bad outcome, and that's not what you want, so why not ask and kind of buite it in the bar. The other thing I wanted to talk about here was sick leave. So like, your mental health is your health, and your health is
supported by your sick leave. So if you need to take some sick leave and go, you know what, I need a few days or I need a day here and there for my mental health, that is so valid. Like I feel like businesses nowadays are trying to carve out, oh, we have mental health leave, and honestly, I think that's bullshit, because you have sick leave that you should be able to use for your mental health. Like from a business owner's perspective, if someone in my team says I'm not
well today, I'm not coming into work. That is not my business. Legally, it's not my business. I do not ask for six certificates. I'm not saying that that's across the board, but for one day here or there. Even if you need a six certificate, you could go to your GP and say it's mental health leave, and your doctor is going to write exactly the same sick certificate for your mental health as they are for you having the flu saying sorry, Jessica's unable to come to work
and she can resume her normal duties as off Monday. Yeah, Like, it's not I promise you. Your mental health is so important you don't even have to go to your boss and have this conversation. Yet, as somebody who is neurospicy being in the throes of it, there's a lot that you're going to learn about managing your health right now. Maybe as the interim measure, you could use some of your sick days take some pressure off. Maybe even talk to your boss and be like, Hey, don't know how
transparent you want to be. Hey, I am not dealing well with a health diagnosis that I am currently in the midst of none of their business. Is there a way that I could for the next three Fridays have a sick day. I know that people don't usually plan sick days in advance, but like, that's what they are for. I don't want to get too much into it, and after that we can review and hopefully I can return to normal. If not, we can discuss it. Then it's giving your boss or heads up. You can kind of
test the waters you're using sick leave. You should be allowed to and I mean, at the end of the day, if they say no to taking sick leave, fair work issue. So I really doubt that they're going to do that. And to be honest, if was going through something similar, I say Jess all the time because she literally reports to me, whereaspec, you work for the podcast, but you work nine to five somewhere else. So if Jess came to me and said, hey, you know, she'd probably tell
me the juicy deets. Let's be honest. But that's a friend thing, not an employer thing. But if she said I need to take time off as an employer far out, I'm so grateful that she's not curling me for the next three weeks on a Thursday night being like, hey, I'm going to be sick tomorrow, Like, thank you for the plan around burning. I can plan around it. I can go all right, Jess, you can have the Fridays off for the next few weeks, sick leave, No worries. Let's just make sure A, B and C you're done,
because they're no one's dressed, how good. So maybe there's like a workaround, but I think make sure that you're leaning, especially on stuff like this, lean on your sick leave. It is there to be used, and I'm not saying like you've use it, but like it sounds like you actually need a few days off because if you're close to burn out, you're sitch.
Yeah, and then if you maybe if you do it that way, you'll be able to say, hey, like everything functioned well. I was able to complete my work during the week, Like the sky didn't fall in when I took those fridays off. Can we look at moving that to a long term solution where I work a four day work week. We've seen that it works, yeah, and that's you know, it's been really beneficial for me, and I think that that's really going to help me avoid burnout work at my ultimate you.
Know level performance exactly.
Because ultimately that's what the workplace wants, right, So I think if you can demonstrate that and maybe that is a good way to broach it gently if you're feeling a bit nervous about it, but also.
Take the pressure of immediately, Like I think you're thinking really long term about this because you're currently feeling like you're headed towards burner. I get long terms really important, but what can you do in the here and now? Without setting in place a formal structure, which I promise is going to take a bit of time. If you said you're in engineering, I can almost guarantee they're a little bit behind. So getting something like that across the
table is going to be challenging. But I would lean on your sick leave at the start and then go from there whatever else. Of course, we went to the community asked their two cents, But first we said, would you feel confident asking for a few hours at work? Interestingly, eighteen percent of you said only if I had kids. Sixty percent of you said absolutely, my well being matters, Yes it does, queens, and twenty two percent of you
said no, way, wouldn't feel comfortable. The next question we asked was what do you think about the advice to just push through? Hate it? Sorry?
Did we even address at all? I hate it?
And you're good because eighty one percent of our community said, terrible advice. Terrible, terrible. Nineteen percent of you said that's how I'd handle it. Don't do that, okay, big dog, you just handle it. That's terrible. You're the person that's going to head towards burnout and burn out harder. So one out of ten don't recommend that, and then obviously we said, girl, what are your two cents? And you had some thoughts. Someone said, I'm about to navigate this.
I'll be actually asking my GP for a medical certificate to help support me. Cool genius. Someone else said, I reduced to nine days a fortnight as a thirty year old. I love life now. It was actually essential for my mental health. Someone else said, you can just call Fair Work and ask for advice on advocating for reasonable accommodations. That is great advice. There is so much support, Like you don't have to go to your HR department or your boss, like you can work out what's feasible first,
because that's power. Like imagine getting to walk in and then they go not possible, and you go, oh, I hate to do this, but legally you have to work with me. Like I don't want to be that guy, but I do know my rights.
I'm great to have like a record or a document that you've spoken to Fair Work because if anything does go wrong and you do need to lean on that, you can say, well, I was proactive. I took that approach ahead of time.
Yeah. Yeah, Someone else said, empathizing with you I'm also are you DHD? And I find the five day work week a lot no advice, just lots of empathy. You guys both raised eyebrows. That is a combination of autistic and ADHD together, which comorbidity in those conditions is incredibly high. Right, kind of cool though, Yeah, when you're a little bit nearer, spicy runs deep. I was laughing because like a couple of my friends diagnote complete side note, I am ADHD.
I haven't been diagnosed with anything else. But a couple of my friends who've been diagnosed with ADHD got their medication, started taking their medication, and then realized they were also autistic, which is not funny, but it is quite funny because like your ADHD symptoms off the mask, what else is going on? Short out the ADHD and you're like, oh,
there's another thing hiding under here. Really really common. Someone else said, don't over explain, make the request and provide just enough information.
Fair you only have to share what you're company with.
And then someone else said, I thought this was quite funny. She said, it is terrible advice to just push through, but let's be honest, That's how i'd handle it.
Oh yeah, I know, I get that.
Yeah, I feel like so many of us do that. But you don't have to put yourself first. You're impacting so many parts of your life by not making sure that you're well. Like if you're not well, how are you giving your best? You can't pull from an empty cup completely. Someone else said, I asked to drop from five days to three and a half days a week, and it has mentally saved me. Someone else said, I love this advice you don't ask, you don't get.
Should we need to put that on a T shirt? Yeah?
Really need to be somewhere.
Exactly, And I feel like that's probably a good place to leave it, to be honest, Like, you don't ask, you don't get.
Yeah, very true that the anxiety around asking and feeling like crap after even if you whether you got your way or not, that'll fade and you'll be left with a beautiful nine day, fortnight exactly.
But also I think defining here what anxiety is, Anxiety is the fear of the unknown, right, Like anxiety is being worried about something that might not happen, Like, as I've said on this podcast before, what's the worst thing that never happened? To you, and I think that helps me a lot because as somebody who takes anti anxiety medication, I feel like I'm very well spoken in this space. But often we ruminate in our own heads and make things much bigger than they actually are, and I mean
they're way worse at three am, right. But I think the most important thing here is do all your research, because the more information and the more education you have about this, the more power you're going to have. So talk to fair work, do some research background, read some forums online about what there is available to you, and again, lean on your sick cleave. It's there for you when you're not well, and you're telling me that you're heading
towards burnout. So that's where we'll leave it. I hope you guys have a beautiful weekend. I'll see you in the morning for a little solo episode and then also on Monday, bright and early for a money diary. So have a good weekend, guys.
We love you, Bye guys.
Cy.
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