Charles Graham was employed by HIFX Australia, which trades as Xe. The company dismissed him on December 2nd, 2025, after tracing his work laptop to a hotel in Singapore. He was supposed to be working from home in Sydney on November 17.
A Sydney-based currency dealer was sacked after telling his employer he was working from home when he was actually on holiday in Singapore, according to The Straits Times.
As reported by The Straits Times , the resulting investigation revealed that while Graham was supposed to be in Sydney “working from home”, he was actually in Singapore. In his defence, Graham said his partner had developed a bacterial infection during their holiday, forcing them to postpone their return to Australia.
He later spent several weeks working from home, citing an eye injury, before going on annual leave. The company tracked his laptop to a hotel in Singapore after he failed to return to work following a holiday. He then took annual leave and travelled to Singapore, as per the outlet.
Graham had asked in September 2025 for permission to work from Singapore for a year, but the company refused, saying his role was based in Sydney and it did not have a licence to operate there. Earlier reporting noted: Graham was expected to return to work on November 17, but his manager discovered that he had not returned as scheduled.
It was not the first time Graham had stretched the boundaries of remote working, according to The Straits Times. “Our mate should be online today, first day since his holiday, so I will need your FBI skills,” his manager wrote in an email to an IT employee, according to a report by The Straits Times.
He had previously worked from Bali while telling his manager he was at home waiting for a plumber to fix bathroom issues. Earlier reporting noted: Australian man claims to be working from home, gets fired after company tracks laptop to Singapore hotel A Sydney -based currency trader was fired after his employer discovered that he was working from Singapore while claiming to be working from home in Australia. Earlier reporting noted: After his relocation request was denied, Graham submitted a medical certificate claiming that an eye injury required him to work from home for three months.
“Our mate should be online today, first day since his holiday, so I will need your FBI skills,” his manager wrote in an email.
