In August 2023, the story of a New South Wales woman who
worked from home and was fired from her job of 18 years made media
headlines and triggered debate about the use of surveillance in
the workplace.
Suzie Cheiko was terminated from her consultancy position after
her employer implemented mouse tracking and keystroke logging onto
her work computer, before providing her with a report which showed
she was not working in accordance with her employment obligations
– and was consistently absent from her computer for long
periods of time.
The Fair Work Commission ultimately rejected Ms Cheiko's
claim for unfair dismissal after finding her employer, Insurance
Australia Group, had a "valid reason of misconduct" as
evidenced by the fact she had on occasion missed deadlines and been
absent and uncontactable.
