Along with the Christmas party, client lunches and the office
secret Santa, the festive season may bring a significant increase
in employee expense claims.
Employers should ensure that employees understand:
- when it is appropriate to incur a work-related expense;
- how the expense will be reimbursed; and
- how unauthorised expenses will be dealt with.
In the decision of the Applicant v Microsoft Australia Pty
Ltd,1 the Fair Work Commission considered whether
the dismissal of a Senior Engineer, for improper use of the company
credit card, was unfair.
The employee was summarily dismissed. In addition to improper
use of the credit card, Microsoft alleged the employee demonstrated
a lack of candour and a failure to co-operate during the
investigation.
