When Your Colleague Is Also Your Mum

Could you imagine working with your mum? 

From embarrassing childhood photos being circulated around the office to co-workers witnessing petty family squabbles, these are just a couple of the reasons why many would shudder at the thought of working with their mother. 
For Moree Plains Shire Council’s Sue Poole, Administrative Support Officer, and her daughter Kat Williams, Workshop Administrative Officer, working together has only brought them closer together. In the spirit of Mother’s Day, we share their heart-warming story. ❤️

Sue has worked for Council for over eight years and Kat has been employed for almost 12. While Sue has taken on a range of casual admin-based roles in different departments, Kat has worked full-time in Customer Service and Engineering.
Chiming in about her mother’s lifestyle/working hours choice, Kat laughed, “it’s really good for me because Mum can help with my daughter’s school drop-offs and pick-ups”. 
For a six-month period, Sue and Kat got the opportunity to work in Customer Service together.

“I loved working with Mum because I got to see her every day”, said Kat, smiling. 
At the time, Sue was new to Customer Service and she looked to her daughter as a mentor. Kat had been working in the department for years and had a strong understanding of Council’s processes and policies.
Explaining why the mother-daughter dynamic was so successful, Sue added, “I’m good at taking orders. Ha, ha. But on a serious note, I also know how to keep Kat calm and when to get her to take a step back in a moment of stress. Kat helped me learn a lot in the process too. We really supported each other when we worked together”. 

While there were positives to working together in the same team, Sue and Kat faced one major challenge.
“We couldn’t have morning tea or lunch at the same time, which was a ritual for us before Mum joined me in Customer Service. My dad would often bring us coffee, lunch to share and we would always catch up”, said Kat.
Despite spending their days working together, the inseparable mother and daughter duo agreed it wasn’t unusual to leave at night and still call each other just to chat about something going on at home or to catch up on family life.
With Kat also being a mother herself, she admitted she appreciates Sue and everything she has done for her even more now.
“I don’t know what I would do without my Mum anymore”, said Kat. 
“Kat’s my best friend”, beamed Sue. 🥰

💐 Happy Mother’s Day to all the incredible mums out there. 

📷 Council's Workshop Administrative Officer Kat Williams and Administrative Support Officer Sue Poole