The former McDonald's employee claims her injury arose out of or in the course of her employment.
Ms Sarkaria saw her compensation claim rejected by WorkCover and then by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission but after more than two years of appeals, Ms Sarkaria was finally successful.
The former employee appealed to the Industrial Court of Queensland and on January 14, her compensation application was accepted and McDonald's was ordered to pay up.
The court ruled Ms Sarkaria was entitled to the payout because of the restaurant's policy requiring her to arrive at work 10 minutes early.
Industrial Court Justice Glenn Martin ruled "although none of the employees at the restaurant would serve a customer, or cook food, or lift a mop from the time they arrived until their shift commenced … they had, in my view, commenced work".
Ms Sarkaria successfully argued she was injured when she was required to be at work.
The former McDonald's worker's case is set to have huge ramifications for employees — especially those that are required to be at their place of work before their shift starts.