When FDC Head of Design, Natalie Burrello, returned from maternity leave after having her second child, her son Oliver, now two, she wasn’t easing her way back in. Her first project back was The Cutaway, a $100 million government redevelopment and one of Sydney’s most ambitious cultural spaces. “I came back from leave and said, ‘Just give me a nice little project,’” she laughs. “And then I found myself on this.”

For someone whose career has been defined by curiosity and drive, it was a fitting return. Natalie originally studied architecture and worked as a registered architect for around seven years before making the move into construction and joining FDC eight years ago. Drawn to problem-solving on site, she shifted into a design management role, eventually growing the team before leading it as Head of Design. “I became very interested in the backend of the design process, construction detailing, working out how things are built and how we could do things a bit more efficiently. I found myself gravitating towards being on site and working with our sub-contractors,” she says. “I started as the only design manager with a design background. Now I get to manage the team, which is awesome.”

Coming Back, With Backing

As Natalie navigated her return to work, another FDC leader was experiencing her own version of a similar journey. Project Director, Claire Jeffrey, who joined FDC 11 years ago, was preparing to go on maternity leave for the first time.

She was based between the office and the site during her pregnancy, working on live construction jobs. As a first-time mum, she wasn’t sure how long she would be able to keep working.

“I said I’d aim to work as long as I can up to the end and I’ll just see how I feel as it progresses,” she says. “Everyone was encouraging me to not push myself too hard, to be kind to myself. A lot of people here have kids, so they probably had a better idea of what was involved than I did.”

Rather than giving Claire a fixed expectation, FDC left the pacing up to her. When it was time for maternity leave, the message from leadership was equally clear: this is your time.

In her first conversation with FDC General Manager, Construction NSW, Sean Gibbeson, Claire admitted she didn’t know how much time she’d want to take off. His response stuck with her. He told her she didn’t know what baby she was going to have, whether the baby would sleep or not and there were too many unknowns to pressure her for a return date. She recalls him essentially saying: go and enjoy the time, we’ll cross that bridge later.

Claire took around 10 months off in total, returning to work when her daughter, also called Amelie, was about nine months old. At every stage the decision was hers. “Everyone’s busy and I’m sure they could have used an extra set of hands,” she says. “But they certainly never transferred that pressure onto me.”

Small Gestures, Big Impact

For Natalie, FDC’s family-friendly culture isn’t just about policies, it’s about daily, human interactions. She noticed it most when she started paying attention. People across the business routinely asked after her children and knew them by name. “From director to cadet, everyone’s just really lovely,” she says. On birthdays, the kids receive little gifts. The FDC Christmas party is a full family event complete with animals, jumping castles and rides. This year, FDC also held a family day at The Cutaway itself, inviting not only FDC families, but subcontractors’ families involved in the project and clients as well.

That support has also shaped her loyalty. “It’s a very emotional and tumultuous time when you go on mat leave,” she reflects. “If you worked at a place where they didn’t support your family or have return-to-work check-ins or flexibility, it would be much more difficult. At FDC I’m seen as a lot more than ‘just’ an employee. I’m an employee with a husband and children and they want to take care of our whole family.”

Moving Forward

As Natalie navigated her return to work, another FDC leader was experiencing her own version of a similar journey. Project Director, Claire Jeffrey, who joined FDC 11 years ago, was preparing to go on maternity leave for the first time.

She told her team about her pregnancy around the 15-week mark. At the time, she was based between the office and the site, working on live construction jobs. As a first-time mum, she wasn’t sure how pregnancy would feel physically, or how long she would want, or need, to keep working.

“I said I’d aim to work as long as I can up to the end and I’ll just see how I feel as it progresses,” she says. “Everyone was encouraging me to not push myself too hard, to be kind to myself. A lot of people here have kids, so they probably had a better idea of what was involved than I did.”

Rather than giving Claire a fixed expectation, FDC left the pacing up to her. As her pregnancy progressed and physical limitations increased, they backed her in adjusting how she worked. When it was time for maternity leave, the message from leadership was equally clear: this is your time.

In her first conversation with FDC General Manager, Construction NSW, Sean Gibbeson, Claire admitted she didn’t know how much time she’d want to take off. His response stuck with her. He told her she didn’t know what baby she was going to have, whether the baby would sleep or not and there were too many unknowns to pressure her for a return date. She recalls him essentially saying: go and enjoy the time, we’ll cross that bridge later.

Claire took around 10 months off in total, returning to work when her daughter, also called Amelie, was about nine months old. At every stage the decision was hers. “Everyone’s busy and I’m sure they could have used an extra set of hands,” she says. “But they certainly never transferred that pressure onto me.”

A Family First Approach

FDC’s family culture shows up in the big decisions, like flexibility in role and hours, but also in the details. A powerful example came at the end of Claire’s maternity leave, when a staff conference was scheduled.

“They called me and said, ‘We’d love you to come to conference. We know you’re still on mat leave. Do you want to come?’” she recalls. “I said, ‘I can come, I just need to have my husband and baby nearby.’ And they said, ‘Yep, we get it. No problem.’”
Claire was able to step in and out of conference sessions while still feeding and caring for her daughter. When she arrived at the conference, FDC had organised snacks, not just for her, but for the baby as well. “I was just blown away by how thoughtful they’d been about everything,” she says.

That thoughtfulness has only strengthened her commitment to the business. “At every step of the way, being pregnant, going on mat leave, returning to work, I’ve been really positively surprised at how genuinely supportive everyone has been,” she says. “I couldn’t imagine having been treated that way anywhere else.”

Celebrating 35 Years + Counting