“Being able to balance work and life means that I don’t have to choose between family, health or CSIRO. It’s always a challenge finding the right balance but I’m certainly working on it! I’m currently working a nine-day fortnight which allows me to work the additional hours over nine days so I can take the tenth day off. If I’m honest, most fortnights are nine and a half days, but I still manage to leave early on the tenth day. This allows me to spend an afternoon out at lunch with my wife or be there in time to pick up my kids from school.”

“We have two boys, aged 12 and eight, and raising them without any family support has been challenging. My wife and I are both working parents and shortly after we had our first son, we decided that we didn’t want to have him in daycare five days per week. I have used reduced-working-year leave equating to one day off per week since then. It’s given me one-on-one time to spend with my sons as they’ve grown. I’ve had time to attend school functions and sporting events and to work on my studies. It’s important for us to have time to spend with our kids and be available to support them.”

Damian Thomson