Engineer Wins $15,345 After Unfair Dismissal Over Insulting WhatsApp Messages

An engineer who was dismissed for sending "extremely insulting" messages about his boss on a WhatsApp group has been awarded $15,345 in compensation after the Fair Work Commission ruled his termination was harsh, unjust, and unreasonable. Tyler Monaghan worked as a project engineer for construction company Endacom from June 2022 until November 2025.

Monaghan had provided eight weeks' notice of his resignation in October 2025 but was terminated immediately after management discovered messages he had posted in a private group chat. The Fair Work Commission's decision, published on Tuesday, found that while Monaghan's messages breached his employment contract, the dismissal process was flawed.

According to the commission, management discovered the messages when they viewed them on another employee's computer and took a photograph. Fair Work Commissioner Stephen Crawford noted that management had no legitimate reason to be accessing the messages and that Monaghan did not intend for them to be seen by management. The messages were exchanged in a WhatsApp group with nine colleagues, intended for communication among fellow engineers and friends.

Commissioner Crawford stated that Monaghan's conduct was sufficiently connected to his employment to constitute a breach of his contract. The messages, though not detailed in the ruling, were described as "extremely insulting" towards his direct manager. Monaghan also breached his contract by encouraging employees to leave their employment, though the commissioner deemed it unlikely to cause widespread resignations. The primary driver for other engineers' departures, he noted, appeared to be unaddressed concerns about working conditions.

The commission found Endacom's valid reason for dismissal was outweighed by procedural unfairness. Monaghan was not given an opportunity to express remorse or provide context for his messages. The commissioner highlighted that strong language was common within the group and that the comments should be viewed in that context. Factors such as the unintentional disclosure of the messages and their transmission outside of work hours also contributed to the ruling.

"Mr Monaghan's dismissal was harsh because he never intended for Endacom management to view the relevant messages and they were only identified because (a staff member) started reading material on (a) computer," Commissioner Crawford said. "The dismissal was also harsh because Mr Monaghan had provided quality service to Endacom for around 3.5 years prior to the messages being identified. The dismissal was unjust and unreasonable because Endacom did not provide any procedural fairness to Mr Monaghan."

Endacom was ordered to pay Monaghan $13,701 in compensation and an additional $1,644 for his superannuation fund.