Man branded 'dishonest and deceitful' fired after company discovered he was faking over 100 hours of work at home
The way the world works in a post-pandemic climate is very different, and while millions lost their jobs, others have completely had to change their routine.
With more and more companies realizing money can be saved by closing physical offices and working from home, many of us have left our typical 9-5 commute behind for a short trip from our beds to a home office.
With this, there comes a lot of trust that people are doing their jobs, although we've heard plenty of stories about people slacking off or catching a few zzzs in the middle of the day.
As a warning to anyone who thinks the work-from-home lifestyle is an easy one where you can get away with not working to your true potential, one man from the United Kingdom has been fired after he 'faked' over 100 hours of WFH work.
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Bristol Live reports that PC Liam Reakes was found to have committed 'gross misconduct' during an accelerated misconduct hearing held at Police Headquarters in June 2025.
If Reakes hadn't already resigned, he would've been dismissed, and now, he's placed on a national list that bans him from working in policing or other law enforcement agencies ever again.
A keystroke audit revealed that between June and September 2024, PC Reakes' total was significantly higher than that of those in similar roles. During that period, it's said that his purposefully holding keys down led to a loss of 100 hours of police work.
Although Reakes didn't attend the hearing, he admitted opening a blank Microsoft Word document and pressing down the Z key. Still, he denies it was an attempt to give the impression he was busy while working from home.
A subsequent keystroke audit suggested that PC Roakes had been doing this since September 2023.
Barrister Mark Ley-Morgan represented the police force at the hearing, telling the panel how Roakes claimed he was struggling with mental health issues while also lacking support. Ley-Morgan maintains that there had been no mention of mental health struggles, while Reakes was said to have been called into numerous performance meetings throughout 2024.
During the hearing, panel chairman Craig Holden said that PC Reakes' behavior was 'deceitful and dishonest', adding: "The impact on the trust the public have in the police service will be damaged. He had lied during the interview process when he could have come clean, and the activity was regular and sustained."
Det Supt Larisa Hunt, head of the Professional Standards Department, commented on the findings and explained: "PC Reakes was the subject of an action plan and was allocated a tutor due to concerns over his performance prior to the keyboard audit being carried out.
“The use of any device or system to replicate keyboard activity is wholly wrong and deceptive and the public will be rightly outraged at this behaviour. Not only has he let down those he made a commitment to serve and protect but he’s also let down his colleagues, who are continuing to deal with significant pressure and workloads.
“We’re continually reminding line managers of their key responsibilities to hold regular check-ins, one-to-ones, and reviews, so the wellbeing and capacity of their staff can be properly monitored. It’s also important for performance issues to be identified early and any necessary support or training put in place to help resolve them."