OK to Fire Poorly Performing Employee Before Probationary Period Ends

The union grieved the university’s decision to terminate a lecturer before she finished her probationary period but the Québec arbitrator tossed the case. Based even on a limited sample, there was more than enough evidence—missed deadlines, negative comments from colleagues over lack of organization and intellectual integrity and poor data scores by her classes—for the university to conclude that the lecturer didn’t meet its expectations, standards and requirements [Union of Lecturers and Lecturers of the University of Sherbrooke c University of Sherbrooke, 2021 CanLII 52039 (QC SAT), June 10, 2021].