ANZ manager claimed he was forced to quit after bank rejected his WFH request - but Fair Work found another reason for his resignation

By SARAH BROOKES - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 15:59, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 15:59, 18 August 2026 An ANZ technology manager who claimed he was forced to resign over a denied work-from-home request has lost his Fair Work case after a judge found he had already lined up another job.  Harikumar Balasubramanian, who worked at the bank for 20 years, claimed he had no choice but to resign after the bank allegedly refused to extend a flexible working arrangement that allowed him to care for his two young daughters. He said the decision left him with 'no feasible childcare alternative' and that his manager Vijayakumar Bidari pressured him to quit. 'The refusal of my flexible working arrangement request really upset me,' he submitted to the Fair Work Commission (FWC). 'I felt stuck and emotionally drained because without that arrangement I couldn't manage my family responsibilities.' Mr Balasubramanian also alleged his manager had 'straight away rejected' his request and was 'very rude'. ANZ requires staff to spend at least half their working week in the office unless granted a formal exemption. The Commission said ANZ had approved a six-month WFH exemption for Mr Balasubramanian in late 2024 and expressly advised him the arrangement would expire in July 2025.  Harikumar Balasubramanian (pictured) argued he had no choice but to resign after ANZ refused to extend flexible working arrangement that allowed him to care for his two daughters  Deputy President Bell found the veteran employee knew he was required to seek any further extension through ANZ's internal approval process but never lodged a formal application  Deputy President Andrew Bell found Mr Balasubramanian knew he was required to seek a further extension through ANZ's internal approval process but never lodged a formal application.  Instead, the Commission found the real reason he resigned was that he had secured another role with global technology consultancy Luxoft that paid $950 a day.  Evidence showed Mr Balasubramanian interviewed for other positions, received a formal offer from Luxoft and discussed the opportunity with his manager before quitting ANZ. The judge was also highly critical of the employee's evidence. 'I am unable to accept his evidence about a number of significant contested factual matters,' Deputy President Bell wrote. 'His evidence was marked by inconsistencies, both internal and with the contemporaneous documents.' Deputy President Bell concluded Mr Balasubramanian's resignation was 'a deliberate and considered action', while ANZ manager Mr Bidari's account was 'consistent and credible'. According to the decision, Mr Balasubramanian received a formal Luxoft job offer on July 10, 2025, before submitting his resignation four days later. The ANZ Bank headquarters (pictured) in Docklands on the Yarra River The commission accepted evidence Mr Bidari even asked whether there was anything ANZ could do to keep him, but Mr Balasubramanian had made up his mind to leave.  The case took another twist when evidence revealed the long-serving employee later attempted to secure a redundancy payout after learning about planned restructuring within ANZ. Messages tendered in evidence showed he repeatedly asked managers whether 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 said in one message, seen by the commission. The Commission concluded missing out on a redundancy payout, rather than the WFH dispute, became his primary grievance.  '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 said. The Fair Work Commission found Mr Balasubramanian had resigned voluntarily and therefore had not been dismissed, rejecting his application.