An ANZ technology manager who claimed he was forced to resign after his bank rejected a work-from-home (WFH) request has lost his case at the Fair Work Commission (FWC). Deputy President Andrew Bell ruled that the manager, Harikumar Balasubramanian, had already secured a new, higher-paying position before submitting his resignation.
Balasubramanian, who had worked at ANZ for 20 years, alleged he had no choice but to resign because the bank would not extend a flexible working arrangement that allowed him to care for his two young daughters. He claimed his manager, Vijayakumar Bidari, pressured him to quit and was rude in rejecting his request.
"The refusal of my flexible working arrangement request really upset me," Balasubramanian submitted to the FWC. "I felt stuck and emotionally drained because without that arrangement I couldn't manage my family responsibilities."
ANZ policy requires staff to be in the office for at least half of their working week, unless a formal exemption is granted. The Commission noted that ANZ had approved a six-month WFH exemption for Balasubramanian in late 2024, which was set to expire in July 2025. Deputy President Bell found that Balasubramanian knew he was required to apply through ANZ's internal process for any further extension but never submitted a formal application.
The Commission determined that the actual reason for his resignation was his acceptance of a new role with global technology consultancy Luxoft, which offered a daily rate of $950. Evidence presented showed Balasubramanian had interviewed for other positions, received a formal offer from Luxoft, and discussed the opportunity with his manager before leaving ANZ. He received the Luxoft job offer on July 10, 2025, and submitted his resignation to ANZ four days later.
Deputy President Bell expressed skepticism regarding Balasubramanian's testimony, stating, "I am unable to accept his evidence about a number of significant contested factual matters. His evidence was marked by inconsistencies, both internal and with the contemporaneous documents."
Bell concluded that Balasubramanian's resignation was "a deliberate and considered action" and found the account of ANZ manager Mr. Bidari to be "consistent and credible." The Commission accepted evidence that Bidari inquired if there was anything ANZ could do to retain Balasubramanian, but the employee had already decided to leave.
The case took a further turn when evidence revealed Balasubramanian later attempted to secure a redundancy payout. Messages presented to the Commission showed him repeatedly asking managers if he could withdraw his resignation, extend his departure date, or be included in any redundancy process. "Did I miss the opportunity to get the package from ANZ?" he asked in one message.
The Commission concluded that Balasubramanian's primary grievance became missing out on a redundancy package due to the timing of his resignation, rather than the dispute over the WFH arrangement. "Mr. Balasubramanian's real grievance is that the timing of his resignation meant that he may have missed the opportunity to depart from ANZ with the windfall of a redundancy package," Deputy President Bell stated.
Ultimately, the Fair Work Commission ruled that Balasubramanian resigned voluntarily and was not dismissed, thereby rejecting his application.