Suzie Cheikho: WFH employee accused of being a ‘bludger’ by her boss who tracked her keystrokes issues a dire warning to all Australian workers – as experts lay out exactly how staff tracking software works
A home worker who was fired after keystroke tracking technology found she was ‘not typing enough’ has warned Aussie workers to record what they do during office hours.
Suzie Cheikho, 38, was fired from her role as a communications consultant at Insurance Australia Group (IAG), where she had worked for 18 years.
Her firing sparked debate this week over workers’ rights and the use of tracking software after the Fair Work Commission rejected her unfair dismissal claim.
Now the Sydneysider, who is surviving thanks to government grants and fears she may never find a job again, has issued a dire warning to workers.
“Whatever you’re working on, follow it. Annoying as it may seem, you need to take notes,” Ms Cheikho said during an interview with A Current Affair on Thursday.
Write down what you do every day. Those five, ten minutes could save your job.’
Suzie Cheikho (pictured), 38, has issued a dire warning to workers after she was unceremoniously sacked by Insurance Australia Group (IAG) after her boss tracked her computer keystrokes
Former digital forensic police officer Michael Heikkilae revealed that the type of software bosses use to monitor their employees is the same technology police use to track criminals.
‘I find it quite drastic. It gives people with access to this kind of software a lot of power,” he said.
“Through this kind of software, we can see essentially everything the user sees, everything from websites to keystrokes, how long they’re active, and even a live view of their screen.”
He added that employers do not require an employee’s permission to access their computer.
Ahmed Khanji, head of cybersecurity firm Gridware and extensive knowledge of tracking software, is against the idea of using the technology to monitor his employees.
‘Absolutely not. I think the downsides outweigh the potential benefits,” he said.
“I think it would create a lot of distrust in the workplace.”
Ms Cheikho told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that she fears she will never find another job after being unceremoniously sacked by IAG for ‘not typing enough’.
“It’s embarrassing that this story has gone viral — no one is going to hire me,” she said.
“In the 18 years I’ve worked there, I’ve only received one warning.”
Ms Cheikho, who now lives off Centrelink, told Daily Mail Australia she fears she will never find another job after being unceremoniously sacked by IAG for ‘not typing enough’
According to the findings of the Fair Work Commission, in November 2022, Ms. Cheikho received a formal warning about her work output and was given a performance improvement plan.
After missing numerous deadlines and meetings, Ms. Cheikho was absent and unreachable, failing to submit a product statement that led the regulator to fine IAG, the findings said.
Her work then subjected her to a detailed review of her cyber activities, which looked at how often Ms. Cheikho pressed buttons on her keyboard during 49 working days from October to December.
On the days she logged in, she had “very low keystroke activity.” She recorded zero strokes for 117 hours in October, 143 hours in November, and 60 hours in December.
She averaged 54 beats per hour during her surveillance, showing that “she didn’t sign up for work and did the job as required.”
But Ms Cheikho told the committee she was “confused and shocked” by the data and questioned its accuracy.
She added that she sometimes used devices other than her laptop to log in when she had “system problems.”
“Sometimes the workload is a little slow, but I’ve never been out of work,” she told her managers, according to the FWC findings.
“I mean, I might go to the store once in a while, but it’s not all day. I need to take a moment to consider this and I’ll come up with a response.”
The former IAG employee (pictured) had her unfair dismissal application rejected by the Fair Work Commission after she was found to have been dismissed for a ‘valid cause for misconduct’
Ms. Cheikho’s LinkedIn profile photo is tagged “Opentowork” following her resignation from IAG
According to the findings, Cheikho also attended a performance review with her manager via Teams with the word “F***” written on her hand.
Thomas Roberts, deputy president of the FWC, ruled that the evidence showed that Cheikho was “not working as expected of her during her designated working hours” while being monitored.
The applicant was fired for a valid cause of misconduct, Roberts wrote.
“I have no doubt that the factors underlying the applicant’s separation from work were serious and real,” he said.
The situation was “deplorable” given Ms Cheikho’s “long period of satisfactory service,” Roberts added.