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A commissioner has chastised a manager for his abusive outbursts at work and for failing to exercise "extreme caution" when sending sexually graphic messages from company-linked social media accounts.

The case involved a Kokoda Spirit employee who sought workers' compensation for depression, anxiety and insomnia that she alleged were caused by the manager's actions. The Queensland Workers' Compensation Regulator rejected her claim and she subsequently appealed.

She told the State Industrial Relations Commission that her psychiatric injury was caused by: long-standing abuse from the manager (who was also the owner of the business); exposure to pornographic messages and images authored by and featuring the manager; and the manager's aggressive and defensive behaviour during discussions about her employment.

The Regulator claimed that while the manager's conduct "was not without blemish", it was reasonable management action taken in a reasonable way...