Company owner ‘quite vocal about exposing her shortcomings,' says lawyer, recommending employers 'pull off the bandage fast rather than slow'
“When an employer is considering letting somebody go, once that decision has been reached, it's better to pull off the bandage fast rather than slow.”
So says Victoria-based labour and employment lawyer Michael Penner of Kent Employment Law, after a British Columbia court determined that an employer constructively dismissed a worker when the work environment turned hostile towards her following the owner’s displeasure with her work and her desk was given to a new employee.
Professional Components (PC) is a producer of shock absorber seats based in Sidney, BC. It hired the worker to be a senior bookkeeper, starting on April 3, 2017, to manage PC’s financial affairs, including preparing the annual budget, completing monthly financial reports, and completing the payroll on time.
The worker had her own office with a desk and filing cabinet. According to the worker, she got on well with other employees and managers.
On April 25, 2018, the worker asked PC’s general manager for a salary increase. The general manager passed the request along to the owner, advising that the worker was uncovering accounting errors and getting them corrected. The worker had also made some mistakes about payment reconciliations of noticeable amounts.
On April 28, the owner came into the worker’s office at 6:30 p.m. in a state of...
Tribune News Editor [email protected] TWO Bahamians were indicted in separate US federal districts last week on charges linked to passport fraud and false claims of American citizenship, acc...