Woman hits out after being sacked when company tracked her computer while working from home
A woman has hit out after being sacked by the company that tracked her computer while working from home.
Suzie Cheikho - from Sydney - used to work as a consultant for Insurance Australia Group Service Australia Ltd (IAG).
She had been at the company since May 2005, but was sacked in February this year after allegations of misconduct arose.
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In its reasons for firing her, IAG stated Cheikho failed to 'work as required' from October to December 2022.
The insurance group alleged that there were 'significant periods where no or minimal keyboard activity was present' while Cheikho was working from home, so she didn't actually work her contracted 7.8 hours for 44 hours out of 49 working days.
The company knew this because it revealed it had been tracking the employee's laptop, logging her computer strokes.
They went on to claim that Cheikho 'failing to work during her designated working hours' alongside 'missing deadlines and not communicating effectively' put 'additional pressures on her work colleagues' which IAG believes created a 'work health and safety risk'.
Last night (Wednesday 10 August), Cheikho hosted a livestream on TikTok to take aim at her former employer, as well as the media.
She said: “They [IAG] were being real arrogant, and they lied too in their responses too. It was a personal attack, straight out.
“I’m low-key very, very embarrassed.
“They’ve put my face all over social media, I already suffer mental health issues, bro — this is just making things worse. It’s not a joke, you don’t understand my mental health is very affected.”
She continued: “This has never happened to me before, and for what? Something that’s very emotional and very private, I never even spoke about it on social media. I’m literally getting harassed through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, like what do you want me to do? I can’t get a f**king job.”
Cheikho said that her name is now ‘everywhere’ if you Google it, adding: “I literally just had news reporters here.”
She said it was ‘embarrassing’ that her story had gone viral, saying she worried that no one would hire her now.
Cheikho also noted how she ‘only ever got one warning’ in the 18 years that she had worked at IAG.
She went on: “Of course I’m embarrassed.
“I’m being treated like a full criminal. You should see what they’ve written — I can admit, I’m red hot, bro.”
Cheikho then made an application to the Fair Work Commission on 13 March, claiming she'd been 'unfairly dismissed'.
The Fair Work Commission document states: "The Applicant submitted that there was no valid reason for the dismissal, that the Respondent [IAG] had a premeditated plan to remove her from the business and that she was targeted due to her mental health issues.
"The Applicant denied that the results of the review of her cyber activity in the October to December 2022 period reflected the reality of the work she was doing in that period."
According to the document, Cheikho said: "I just don't use this device. I doubt the data. I don't believe for a minute it's true."
She also argued that she used her phone for work too, and there were 'extended periods where she was just reading and checking the wording of documents and did not have to do anything else'.
Jess Hardiman