Trashing Company on Facebook Is Last Straw for Employee with Poor Attendance

Two weeks after returning from a 5-day suspension for leaving work without permission, a maintenance electrician with a track record of missing work and overstaying breaks shows up for work 30 minutes late in defiance of his written final warning. And, while investigating the most recent incident, the employer discovers that the electrician made disparaging remarks about the company on Facebook while serving his suspension. It’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The Québec arbitrator rules that the company had just cause to dismiss, especially given the electrician’s consistent refusals to take responsibility for his violations [Teamsters Québec, local 1999 c Veolia Infrastructure Services Canada SEC, 2022 CanLII 35733 (QC SAT), May 6, 2022].