Phoning It In: Termination Appropriate For Employee Who Called in "Sick" | The HR Space

The HR Space is edited by Louise Béchamp, Karen M. Sargeant and Brian P. Smeenk

Determining the legitimacy of an employee's illness is a tricky situation for employers across the country. The Alberta Court of Queen's Bench recently took a firm stance on the abuse of sick leave and found in favour of the employer in Telus Communications Inc. v. Telecommunications Workers' Union   - Telus was correct in firing an employee who said he was too sick to go to work but well enough to play in a softball tournament. The Court even declined to take the usual step of sending the matter back for a new arbitration hearing. 

Background

Jarrod Underwood is a member of the Telecommunications Workers' Union. He was employed by Telus Communications as a service technician in Fort McMurray. In that position, he installed and serviced Telus equipment at customers' homes and businesses, largely without any direct supervision.