Recent return from 18-month leave influences denial of further development opportunities
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently dealt with a case where a federal government employee's claim of forced resignation was dismissed after the Commission found she voluntarily resigned despite workplace grievances about work attribution and denied study leave requests.
The case arose when the worker resigned in June 2025 following disputes over recognition for her project work and refusal of her applications for extended study leave, voluntary redundancy, or part-time arrangements.
The worker argued she was constructively dismissed due to cumulative workplace conduct, including misattribution of her work to a colleague, dismissive handling of her complaints, and refusal to support her professional development aspirations.
The employer, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, contested the forced resignation claim, maintaining that the worker had voluntarily resigned to pursue study opportunities after reasonable management decisions were made regarding her requests.
The worker had recently returned from 18 months of study leave in November 2024 after completing a Diploma of Project Management, during which she was placed in a three-person Strategic Project Management Team alongside her direct manager and a more senior colleague.
In January 2025, she accepted a temporary six-month transfer to the Compliance Team but found...
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