An employee who worked at The Warehouse has had her personal grievance claim for unjustified dismissal rejected by the Employment Relations Authority.

The employee was dismissed after she gave away multiple car phone charges to customers who had purchased phones valued at less than $50. The employee continued to breach the store’s policies after she was told not to by a senior team manager.

The ERA held that the employer was entitled to find that the employee had engaged in serious misconduct after ignoring her manager’s instructions as the employer had conducted a thorough investigation into the matter. The ERA also noted that the employee gave inconsistent evidence which undermined her argument that she had given away the phone chargers prior to her warning.

The ERA found that the employer had conducted themselves as a fair and reasonable employer would have in the circumstances by holding a disciplinary process which gave the chance for the employer to respond to their concerns about her behaviour.