Apple Ordered to Pay $18,000 for Bathroom Discrimination

The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered Apple Inc. to pay $18,000 to a former employee after finding the company engaged in indirect discrimination at its Canberra Civic store. The worker, who was employed from September 2019 to March 2024, suffered from a medical condition that required frequent and sudden toilet use.

Tribunal member Robert Orr found that Apple disadvantaged the employee by using the store's accessible bathroom as a staff change room and for storing cleaning equipment. This forced the worker to either wait or use standard bathrooms, which Orr stated had the effect of disadvantaging the worker because of his disability. While Apple eventually relocated the equipment and renovated the space, the tribunal ruled these later fixes did not erase the prior discrimination.

The tribunal dismissed separate claims that Apple had directly discriminated against the worker or rejected work-from-home requests based on his disability. Orr concluded there was no evidence of serious or repeated discrimination and noted that management had shown significant concern for the worker's welfare, stating the company's actions were not intentional, calculated, or cruel.