Employee caught lying to employer awarded over $6000…

An employee, who worked as a shift supervisor at a petrol station, has had her personal grievance claim for unjustified dismissal upheld by the Employment Relations Authority.

The employer dismissed the employee after he found discrepancies surrounding the reasons why she had left work early one day during her employment.

The ERA held that although it was reasonable for the employer to conclude that the employee had told ‘calculated lies’, the employer could only have dismissed the employee after conducting a fair investigation.

The ERA found that the employer failed to act as a fair and reasonable employer could in the circumstances by holding a defective disciplinary meeting. It said the employer failed to properly inform the employee of any possible consequences that the meeting may have on her employment and so limited the employee’s ability to respond to his concerns.

The ERA awarded over $4,000 for lost wages plus $2,000 compensation for humiliation, loss of dignity and injury to feelings, including a reduction of 50 per cent for contributory behaviour.

Alan Knowsley
Employment Lawyer Wellington