Sydney WFH trader fired after work laptop exposes his Singapore getaway, wins unfair dismissal case
A Sydney-based currency trader was fired after his employer discovered that he was working from a hotel in Singapore while claiming to be working from home in Australia. Although a workplace tribunal found that Charles Graham had deliberately concealed his location and that the company had valid grounds to dismiss him, it also ruled that his employer failed to follow the proper procedure.Graham won an unfair dismissal case on October 7 but received only four weeks’ pay in lieu of notice, without reinstatement or additional compensation.The Fair Work Commission found that Graham had knowingly violated his employer’s policies by concealing his location. His employer, HIFX Australia, which operates under the trading name Xe, dismissed him on December 2, 2025, after tracing his work laptop to a hotel in Singapore on November 17, when he was supposed to be working from home in Sydney.
Work from Bali, telling boss plumber work going on at home
This was not the first time Graham had stretched the boundaries of remote work. He had previously worked from Bali while telling his manager that he needed to stay home for a plumber who was fixing recurring bathroom problems.In September 2025, Graham had asked Xe for permission to work from Singapore for a year. The company rejected the request, explaining that his position was based in Sydney and it did not have a licence to operate in Singapore.Graham worked from home for several weeks, citing an eye injury, before taking annual leave for a holiday. He was expected to return to work in November.On November 17, his first day back after the holiday, his manager, Abigail Plummer, contacted the IT department to investigate his whereabouts.“Our mate should be online today, first day since his holiday, so I will need your FBI skills,” she wrote in an email.The ensuing investigation revealed that Graham was in Singapore rather than Sydney, as he had led his employer to believe.
Graham says partner’s infection deferred return to Australia
Defending his actions, Graham said his partner had developed a bacterial infection during their holiday, forcing them to postpone their return to Australia. He said he had intended to inform his manager about the delay but was overwhelmed by unread emails, incoming calls and a complaint from a high-value client.Xe rejected his explanation, saying the documents he provided did not adequately establish that his partner was unable to travel. The company also said he had failed to explain why he kept his location secret.The employer cited other instances of alleged workplace misconduct. After a mandatory policy requiring employees to attend the office three days a week was introduced, Graham had reportedly arrived late on several occasions, claiming he was unwell or occupied with household chores.Fair Work Commission commissioner Alana Matheson ruled that Graham’s concealment of his whereabouts demonstrated that he understood he needed approval to work overseas. She described his failure to disclose that he was in Singapore as deliberate dishonesty and agreed that Xe had a valid reason to dismiss him.However, the commission also identified shortcomings in the company’s handling of the dismissal. Internal messages discussing a “strategy” and suggesting that Graham should be given “a bit of hope to turn up to the meeting” raised concerns that the outcome might have been decided before he had been given a proper opportunity to respond.Matheson found that the company had failed to fully explain the case against Graham and give him an adequate opportunity to defend himself. The company’s failure to follow due process meant that the dismissal was unfair, despite the valid grounds for terminating his employment.
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