A National Australia Bank employee who worked gruelling hours managing a heavy workload has lost his unfair dismissal case after admitting he had never read a lengthy company policy document relevant to his role. Steven Knowles told Australia's Fair Work Commission that an overwhelming "avalanche" of tasks had left him working up to 18-hour days, but the tribunal found that his failure to familiarise himself with the seven-page policy undermined his case against the bank. The ruling highlights the tension between employees' claims of unmanageable workloads and employers' expectations that staff engage with formal compliance documents, regardless of time pressure.

Knowles' own emails, submitted as evidence, painted a picture of mounting strain as tasks piled up faster than he could complete them, contributing to punishing working hours. Despite this, the commission determined that his unfamiliarity with the seven-page policy was a decisive factor in NAB's decision to dismiss him, and it ultimately sided with the bank, rejecting his claim that the sacking was unfair. The case underscores how workplace tribunals can weigh procedural compliance heavily, even when an employee's excessive workload forms part of the wider context.