Working remotely from abroad without approval? This trader's Singapore trip cost him his job

A Sydney currency trader was sacked after his employer found his work laptop logged in from a Singapore hotel while he claimed to be “working from home” in Australia. Australia’s Fair Work Commission has ruled the dismissal process unfair but found the company had a valid reason to fire him, The Straits Times reported.

Charles Graham, who had worked for HIFX Australia—trading as a currency exchange company, Xe—for about 20 months, was due to return to work in Sydney on November 17, 2025, after annual leave. Instead, he logged in from Singapore.

When he did not return, Xe’s IT team traced his work laptop’s IP address and GPS location to an Ibis hotel in Singapore. The company dismissed him on December 2, 2025, citing policy breaches and a breakdown of trust.

MUST READ: AI boss fires human employee after repeated lateness: Here’s what happened

Employee’s defence

Graham said he had planned to return to Australia but delayed his flight because his partner developed a bacterial infection and needed medical treatment. He also argued that the company had located him through “illegal tracking surveillance".

Earlier, he had sought permission to work from Singapore for a year, but the company rejected the request. He later obtained approval to work from home for three months, citing an eye injury.

What the commission said

Fair Work Commissioner Alana Matheson found that Graham deliberately concealed his location and knew the company required approval to work from another country. The commission described his failure to disclose where he was as “deliberate” and amounting to dishonesty.

Graham planned to work in Singapore and did commence work in Singapore without approval in circumstances where he was aware approval to work in another country was required, the commissioner found.

DO CHECKOUT: Terminated while recovering? Gurugram woman’s post triggers debate over employee rights

Why he still ‘won’

Although Xe had a valid reason to dismiss him, the commission found the company did not follow a fair process before terminating his employment. Graham was therefore successful in his unfair dismissal claim, but he will not get his job back.

He also received no additional compensation because he had already been paid four weeks’ salary in lieu of notice.