‘Premeditated attack’: Suzie Cheikho blasts employer on live TV after being sacked

An Australian woman has blasted her former employer on live TV, claiming a personal crisis was primarily to blame for a slump that got her fired.

An Australian woman fired after bosses monitored her keystroke activity while working from home has blasted her former employer on live TV, claiming a personal mental health crisis was primarily to blame for her performance slump.

Suzie Cheikho, 38, a former consultant at Insurance Australia Group (IAG), was sacked in February for missing deadlines and meetings, being absent and uncontactable, and failing to complete a task which caused the industry regulator to fine IAG, a Fair Work Commission hearing heard.

She received a formal warning in November 2022 about her output and was put on a performance improvement plan.

Ms Cheikho was subject to a detailed review of cyber activity, which analysed the number of times she physically pressed her keyboard on 49 working days from October to December.

The Commission also heard the review found she had “very low keystroke activity”, averaging 54 strokes per hour throughout her surveillance, which showed “she was not presenting for work and performing work as required”.

Ms Cheikho, who told her employer she did “not believe for a minute” the data was true, took her case to the Fair Work Commission.

The tribunal this week sided with IAG, finding she was fired for a “valid reason of misconduct”.

Sacked insurance worker Suzie Cheikho blasted her employer on live TV. Picture: Sunrise

Ms Cheikho appeared on Sunrise on Friday morning amid an apparent media campaign to clear her name, also appearing on Thursday night’s A Current Affair Program.

She denies speculation that she was a “lazy” worker, telling the program, “I was a hard worker, and I was a loyal worker.”

“I was going through some personal and mental health issues. I was reprimanded for my work. Instead of my company meeting their duty of care and helping me, I was basically targeted because of my mental health and the personal stuff I was going through,” she told Sunrise.

Ms Cheikho labelled the events as a “premeditated attack” aimed at removing her from the company.

“I had a medical emergency at that time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to start on my rostered time,” she said.

“As soon as I was home from the hospital, I actually contacted my manager.

“Another time was another medical issue. I am a woman who lives on my own.

She said because she has no spouse or a next of kin, nobody could contact her work about her personal health crisis.

“It wasn’t that I was not contactable. The deadline itself was all based on the lodgement, which was my mistake,” Ms Cheikho said.

“Everybody makes mistakes. Being an employee of 18 years, I made my first mistake: I missed a deadline in lodging a document on time.”

Suzie Cheikho said she was a hard and loyal worker. Picture: Sunrise

She claims to have been going though a mental health crisis when her performance slumped. Picture: Sunrise

Ms Cheikho said a formal warning in November 2022 about her output and subsequent performance improvement plan was her first disciplinary action in her 18-year career.

She also revealed she was totally unaware her keystrokes were being tracked.

“I wasn’t aware (I was being tracked). Obviously, by the time I got my official warning, which was in November, I was placed on a performance plan in December, which then lead the company to undergo a cyber review, which is where they have come up with this data,” she said.

“But they did it from October to December. And I wasn’t given the data until January.”

“So everybody is going around talking about how I was given so much time.

“It wasn’t that I was given time. I was on my performance review while they were undergoing this cyber review and tracking work previous to having discussions with me.”

Ms Cheikho took to TikTok earlier this week, concerned the bad press has made her unemployable.

“I’m low-key very, very embarrassed,” she said.

“They’ve put my face all over social media. I already suffer mental health issues, bro — this is just making things worse. It’s not a joke. You don’t understand my mental health is very affected.”

She also disclosed she was being harassed.

“You don’t understand, I’m actually getting harassed, like I literally just had news reporters here,” she said.

Suzie Cheiko says she ‘can’t get a f**king job’. Picture: TikTok

The 38-year-old now has nearly 8000 followers. Picture: TikTok

“This has never happened to me before, and for what? Something that’s very emotional and very private. I never even spoke about it on social media.

“I’m literally getting harassed through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, like what do you want me to do? I can’t get a f**king job.”

Ms Cheikho said if you Googled her name now, her embarrassing ordeal is “everywhere”.

“I’m being treated like a full criminal. You should see what they’ve written.”

IAG declined to comment.

– With Frank Chung and Claire Sibthorpe