The Fair Work Commission, Australia's workplace tribunal, ruled on Wednesday that Charles Graham was unfairly dismissed by HIFX Australia, trading as Xe, in December 2025. Graham, a Sydney currency trader, was sacked after working from Singapore without employer approval.
The Commission found the dismissal breached fair work laws, though Graham was not awarded compensation. According to The Guardian, Graham had also been in Bali when he told his manager he was working from home, details heard during the Fair Work Commission proceedings.
The case centres on whether an employer can terminate an employee for breaching remote work location restrictions. HIFX Australia determined that Graham's unauthorised work from Singapore violated company policy. The Commission's decision to uphold the unfair dismissal claim indicates the tribunal found the termination did not meet the procedural and substantive fairness standards required under Australian employment law.
The absence of compensation despite the unfair dismissal finding suggests the Commission may have determined that while the dismissal process was flawed, other factors limited the remedial award. This outcome reflects tension between employer authority over work arrangements and employee protections against arbitrary termination.
The ruling occurs amid broader shifts in workplace flexibility following pandemic-era remote work adoption. Australian employers have increasingly sought to set conditions on where and when work occurs, while employees have pushed for greater location autonomy. This case demonstrates how disputes over remote work arrangements are now reaching formal tribunals.