ARTICLE · 14 NOVEMBER 2020

How not to performance manage employees working from home during COVID-19!

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Highlighting challenges of remote management, the FWC held that a salesperson working remotely was unfairly dismissed.

AustraliaEmployment and HR

With the coming of the COVID-19 pandemic many employees are working from home and this appears likely to continue for some time yet - especially in Victoria.

In a decision highlighting the challenges of managing remote workers, the Fair Work Commission has held that a salesperson working remotely was unfairly dismissed whilst performing her duties in the COVID environment (see Clair Petersen v Kizuri Capital Pty Ltd, Maycorp Pty Ltd and Cricklewood Capital Pty Ltd trading as Allpet Products [2020] FWC 5332 (20 October 2020)).

The Facts

The employee was a South Australian based salesperson who consistently exceeded sales targets after joining the Perth based Allpet Products in early 2018. Her territory was extended to include Queensland in recognition of her success.

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