A federal public servant under scrutiny over work absences said she took longer breaks than usual because she needed to find cafes that sold organic coffee and soy milk.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) worker claimed she suffered an adjustment disorder triggered by what she saw as unreasonable actions by her boss.

She took her case to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal after being denied compensation by Comcare.

The woman cited scrutiny of her attendances at work, an unsatisfactory work performance assessment and refusal of study leave as contributing factors.

Her manager checked log-in and log-out records, and asked why they did not match timesheets provided by the employee.

The executive level 1 worker claimed she took longer than the normal 15 minutes allowed for coffee breaks because she needed to find organic coffee and the non-dairy based soy milk for dietary reasons.

She had also been away from her desk to comfort a friend, used the stairs for exercise and had studied in the ATO building foyer.

However, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal found her manager's actions had been reasonable, and confirmed Comcare's decision to deny the woman compensation.