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Remote worker who drank alcohol in online meeting loses appeal
An employee has lost his appeal against a finding that drinking alcohol during an online meeting was work-related and warranted disciplinary action.
The Lyneham Primary School teacher received a written reprimand and had his pay reduced for 12 months after he "picked up a cask of wine, lifted it above his head and opened the tap to drink from it" during a video conference with his supervisor, while he was working from home in August 2021.
The employee applied to the Fair Work Commission to review the sanction, claiming his home wasn't a "workplace" and therefore he couldn't have breached the employer's code of conduct. He also said he thought the meeting was over and that his consumption of alcohol was a "private matter"...
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