Work-from-home (WFH) employee Suzie Cheikho, 38, recently revealed she was sacked from Insurance Australia after 18 years on the job. The dismissal follows a formal warning in November 2022 over her performance and output. However, it is the performance evaluation process that has attracted widespread public attention.
According to news.com.au, Ms Cheikho underwent a performance improvement program during which her computer activity, including keystrokes, was monitored for 49 working days between October and December. She was fired on February 20 for not meeting deadlines, missing meetings and failing to complete important tasks. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) heard she often worked outside the scheduled hours and would arrive late and finish early on many days. Based on her online activity, she even had days when she didn’t work at all.
According to the FWC ruling, Ms Cheikho attended a Microsoft Teams meeting to discuss her performance with her manager and had the word “F**k” written on her hand.
At a formal meeting about the review, Ms Cheikho said she was “not convinced for one minute” that the data was correct. However, she failed to provide any evidence that this was not the case. “I mean, I might go to the store from time to time, but it’s not a full day. I need to take some time to think about it and then I’ll come up with a response,” she told managers, according to the FWC’s findings .
In a written response, she claimed to have “experienced a number of personal issues which resulted in a decline in my mental health, which unfortunately I believe has affected my performance and work.” She mentioned that due to the injury, “a number of matter”. She claimed she informed her manager about the medical appointment via Teams messages and promised to “make up the time afterwards.”
A month later, Ms Cheikho claimed the company had “premeditated her dismissal from the company and targeted her because of her mental health issues”.
Now, Ms Cheikho said she relied on welfare support and had recently received her final payment from the company. Her situation unexpectedly drew attention to her online. She is now a minor internet celebrity with nearly 8,000 followers on TikTok.
“I make a small amount of money from TikTok — just enough to pay my bills,” she told the outlet. “You know, this is all about my mental health. I became an advocate because I suffered from mental health issues, so I raise awareness by talking about it on ‘Life.'”
Now she fears she will never find a job again. “It’s embarrassing that this story has gone viral and no one will hire me,” she told the Daily Mail. “In 18 years working there, I only received one warning,” she added.
