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Resigning may well have been the right decision for an employee who didn't trust HR to take her workplace complaints seriously, according to the Fair Work Commission, but this didn't mean the employer's conduct forced her hand.

Rather, the evidence showed the employer was continuing to deal with the employee's concerns, and its own issues with her performance, when she quit in August last year, Commissioner Oanh Thi Tran found.

The McPherson Media Group cadet journalist lodged a general protections dismissal dispute shortly after she resigned, and the employer raised a jurisdictional objection, arguing it hadn't dismissed her.

The Commission heard that in November 2024, the employer placed the employee, who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, on a performance improvement plan (PIP), following complaints from colleagues and members of the public about her "rude behaviour".

Around the same time, the employee raised a grievance about multiple colleagues, and in December she applied for stop-bullying orders...