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An employee who had been absent for more than two years before resigning has failed to convince the Fair Work Commission he was forced out by a pattern of "sustained psychological abuse, structural mismanagement [and] coercion".

Behaviours the employee viewed as stonewalling, bullying or gaslighting intended to "get rid of him" were, in fact, "innocuous conduct", Deputy President Nicholas Lake found.

The employee had held the position of group executive chef at The Beach Hotel on Stradbroke Island prior to its 2022 acquisition by GTG Broadbeach No.2 (part of Good Times Group Holdings).

He described the acquisition as a "hostile takeover" during which "psychological pressure and bullying tactics" were employed on himself and other senior personnel, by corporate leaders including the then HR manager. After successfully claiming workers' compensation for anxiety as a result of workplace bullying, he ultimately resigned in April 2025...