Sydney trader caught working from Singapore hotel wins case but gets no compensation

Charles Graham, a Sydney trader employed by currency exchange firm Xe, was recently caught working from a Singapore hotel hotel during his tenure. Despite Xe's refusal to grant him a year-long work visa in Singapore, Graham departed for Singapore on November 7, 2025, with the intention of working remotely for three months. On his first day back at work, he logged onto his work laptop from the Singapore hotel, prompting Xe's IT team to take action.

Commissioner Alana Matheson of the Fair Work Commission ruled that Xe had a valid reason to terminate Graham, but they had followed an unfair process. She concluded that reinstating him would have likely kept him employed for an additional four weeks, amounting to A$5,384.62 (US$3,750) in compensation. However, Matheson declined to grant either reinstatement or compensation. Matheson determined that a fair process would have retained Graham for an additional four weeks, valued at A$5,384.62 (US$3,750).

Graham sought permission from Xe to work from Singapore under a youth mobility visa, which required him to move by November 14, 2025. However, the company denied the request, citing that the role was based in Sydney and they lacked a license to operate in Singapore. Graham disputed this, but the commission was convinced by his manager's testimony.

On November 17, Graham logged on from the Singapore hotel, in violation of the company's policy requiring employees to work from the Sydney office. Matheson found Graham's failure to disclose his location before he was caught was deliberate, amounting to dishonesty. Despite his late arrivals and the company's new mandatory office attendance policy, Matheson found that Xe had not clearly communicated to Graham that he was being considered dishonest before terminating his employment.