In a recent case that has gained attention, an Australian woman named Suzie Cheikho was fired from her job at an insurance company for not typing enough while working from home. The Fair Work Commission, which handles employment disputes in Australia, rejected her unfair dismissal application, stating that she was fired for valid reasons of misconduct.
According to the New York Post, these reasons included missing deadlines and meetings, being absent and uncontactable, and failing to lodge a product disclosure statement. Despite Cheikho’s claims that her employer targeted her due to her mental health issues, the commission found that she had been warned about her performance and had been put on a performance improvement plan.Â
A review of her cyber activity revealed that she often started late, did not work her hours, and had very low keystroke activity. As a result, the commission ruled that she was not working as required during her designated working hours, leading to her dismissal for misconduct.
The use of keystroke technology to monitor employees’ work from home has become increasingly common in recent years. This technology allows employers to track the amount of time employees spend actively working on their computers by monitoring their keystrokes.
In Cheikho’s case, her employer used this technology to determine whether she was fulfilling her work responsibilities while working remotely. The review of her cyber activity showed significant periods of low keystroke activity, indicating that she was not actively engaged in her work during those times.
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Despite the controversy surrounding the use of such technology and the concerns it raises about employee privacy, the Fair Work Commission upheld Cheikho’s dismissal. The commission found that she consistently failed to meet deadlines, attend meetings, and communicate with the company. Additionally, she failed to complete a task that resulted in a fine for the company. The examination of her computer activity further supported the conclusion that she was not fulfilling her scheduled hours on many days and had very low keyboard activity on the days she did log on.
Cheikho’s claim that the data collected through keystroke technology was inaccurate and that personal issues and mental health problems affected her performance was dismissed by the commission. The commission ruled that her dismissal was justified due to misconduct and not unjust or unreasonable. This case highlights the importance of employees fulfilling their work obligations while working from home and the potential consequences they may face if they fail to do so.
if she was not working her hours not finishing her job and the company was paying out money because she didn’t comply with her work .I think is fair that she was fired.