Test Your Knowledge
Q1. At the last minute, after all Christmas/New Year’s leave for staff was finalised, one of your employees requested annual leave for 27 – 29 December 2017, which you declined. The employee then texts you on the morning of 27 December to say they ate too much Christmas fare and are not well enough to come to work.
Do you:
A. Telephone the employee to find out more about how they are feeling, and to let them know that overeating is not in itself an acceptable reason for being away. See if they can actually attend work.
B. Text back and ask that they go to the doctors and get a medical certificate (at your cost).
C. Do nothing and see if they come to work tomorrow; you’re just too angry right now to discuss it.
D. Text back that they were told they weren’t able to take leave today and they need to choose - either get to work right away or be fired!
Q2. Last Friday you took your team out to dinner at a local restaurant as a little thankyou before Christmas. Everyone had a great time. However, on Monday you got a call from the restaurant owner, saying they have CCTV footage of one of your team pouring themselves a drink from a bottle of champagne behind the bar.
Do you:
A. Call the employee into your office, tell them what has been reported (that they stole alcohol from the venue) and they can leave immediately; they don’t have to work their notice and they will be paid their final pay overnight.
B. Prepare a letter, inviting them to a meeting, outlining the allegations, attaching some of the CCTV pictures and a statement from the restaurant owner, and giving them the opportunity to prepare and to bring a support person or representative.
C. Apologise to the restaurant owner, tell them you will pay them for the bottle of champagne; it was one of your great employees; maybe a poor decision by him at the time, but there’s no need to rock the boat over a glass of bubbles at Christmas.
Q3. On the last day before your Christmas closedown you shout morning tea where you hand out the Secret Santa gifts, which is an annual tradition co-ordinated by your Office Manager. As the presents are eagerly ripped open, amongst the laughs and cheers, you hear someone burst into tears. Your Office Manager has received something that they have clearly found upsetting. She screams out “I’ve had enough of all the bullying around here, I’m leaving!”. She proceeds to grab her personal belongings off her desk and storms off, driving off in her car, before you can talk to her.
Do you:
A. Give her the closedown period to calm down and see if she comes back to work on 8 January, when you would like to ask why she over-reacted to something that is just a bit of fun.
B. Try to call her, leave her a message saying that you would like to talk to her about what happened, and ask her to call you back. If she doesn’t return your call throughout the day you prepare and courier a letter to her address, outlining what you observed at the morning tea, advising you would like to investigate any concerns she has so would like details of those from her and in the meantime, she can access some company-paid EAP counselling sessions if she feels that may be helpful, as you noticed she was very upset.
C. Send her a letter asking her to a disciplinary investigation meeting on 8 January regarding an allegation of unauthorised absence (from the time she stormed out for the rest of that day).
If you are unsure of a situation that has happened at your work or you have a query about a matter please don't hesitate to contact us. We will have a consultant available to talk with you during the Christmas & New Year break. (Non statutory holidays only)