No One Will Hire Me”: WFH Employee Fired After Firm Tracks Laptop Activity
Suzie Cheikho, a 38-year-old work-from-home (WFH) employee, recently revealed that she was fired from Insurance Australia Group after 18 years of service. The firing followed a formal warning regarding her performance and output in November 2022. However, it is the performance evaluation process that has attracted significant public attention.
Ms Cheikho was subjected to a performance improvement plan, during which her computer activity, including keyboard strokes, was monitored for 49 working days between October and December, as per news.com.au. She was fired on February 20 for not meeting deadlines, missing meetings, and failing to complete important tasks. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) learned that she often did not work her scheduled hours, would come to work late and finish early on many days. There were even days when she did not work at all, according to her online activity.
According to the FWC ruling, Ms Cheikho attended one Microsoft Teams meeting with her manager concerning her performance, with the word “F**k” written across her hand.