Major WFH reality check after Aussie demanded to work from home so he could look after his two young children: 'Not feasible'

By SARAH BROOKES - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 06:59, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 07:01, 30 June 2026 A father has lost his bid to work from home while caring for his two young children following a legal showdown with his bosses. Sydney payroll officer Rabin Gurung sought permission to work from home on Mondays and Fridays while acting as the primary carer for his children, aged two and four. But the Fair Work Commission sided with his employer, building materials giant Knauf Gypsum, finding there was a 'real risk of error and inefficiency' if he attempted to perform the role while looking after two toddlers. The decision could have implications for parents seeking to combine remote work and full-time childcare under flexible work arrangements.  Mr Gurung had worked remotely during the Covid pandemic, however staff were required to return to the office for at least three days a week from February 2022, before the company introduced a more formal hybrid work policy in May 2024. Under that policy, employees working from home could not also be the primary carer of a child of primary school age or younger during business hours. Mr Gurung's arrangement was initially approved in April 2024, allowing him to work from home two days a week from May. However, the company later announced the arrangement would be scrapped from January 1, 2026, prompting him to submit a fresh request. Rabin Gurung disputed the suggestion that parenting responsibilities prevented employees from effectively working from home (stock image) In January, Mr Gurung sought permission to work from home every Monday and Friday while also caring for his two children, who did not attend daycare on those days. He also told the company his wife was pregnant with their third child and suffering from a medical condition associated with the pregnancy. Knauf Gypsum rejected the request, arguing that Mr Gurung's role required sustained concentration and attention to detail. 'It is difficult to conceive how you would be able to do this if you were to simultaneously have caring responsibilities for two young children who are not otherwise being cared for or entertained by someone else,' the company wrote. 'This is particularly the case for someone in a role such as yours, where it is critical that you have uninterrupted focus when carrying out processing for payroll.' The company also pointed to what it described as 'a marked drop in performance and attention to detail', which it said had affected the productivity, timeliness and efficiency of payroll processing. 'We appreciate that being the primary caregiver for your children on these days can be difficult for you and your family, particularly if you have limited support in Australia,' it told him. 'We have tried to support you as much as possible, however, we do need to ensure that we are operating effectively across our business.'  Knauf Gypsum (pictured) employs around 500 workers in Australia The company instead proposed several alternative arrangements, including compressed full-time hours across four days, shorter shifts on childcare days, a reduced three-day week and alternative start and finish times. However, Mr Gurung rejected the proposals and disputed the suggestion that parenting responsibilities prevented employees from effectively working from home. Fair Work Commissioner Alana Matheson found the father faced an 'extremely high risk' of interruptions if he attempted to carry out payroll duties while acting as the primary carer for children aged two and four. She noted children of that age require constant attention and are not capable of looking after themselves for extended periods. 'I do not consider that it is feasible for (Mr Gurung) to take on a role of primary carer of two children, aged two and four years, at the same time he is carrying out payroll duties,' she wrote in her decision. Commissioner Matheson accepted there was a 'real risk of error and inefficiency' if he attempted to combine the complex payroll role with caring for two young children. She also found his childcare responsibilities had likely contributed to performance concerns and noted he was only 'partially' meeting expectations in his role. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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