Bell’s parent company fired workers for faking office attendance, but faces allegations of flawed investigations, condonation of the activity
One employee allegedly used his office badge to access the gym before heading home. Another swiped in just before midnight and again just after, logging two apparent workdays without spending a meaningful minute at his desk.
These incidents, reported by The Globe and Mail, are among the cases at the centre of a growing controversy involving BCE, Bell Canada's parent company, which has terminated a number of corporate employees for what it calls “deliberate and repeated falsification of workplace attendance.”
The firings – which occurred at offices across the country and affected only non-unionized staff – have put the tension between return-to-office (RTO) mandates and remote work expectations on display. They have also raised pointed questions about whether BCE's approach to enforcement was legally sound, or whether it has exposed the company to significant liability.
BCE's policy requires most corporate employees to be in the office three days a week, reported CBC News. The practice at the centre of the firings – badging in and promptly leaving – has become widely known as "coffee badging," and BCE says it won’t tolerate it.
In a statement provided to HRD Canada and other media, BCE said each termination followed “a thorough investigation and individuals were presented with clear evidence of their...
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