At 4:56pm on April 25 – Anzac Day – this year, Avril Chapman phoned her employer, the Tassal factory in Tasmania, to let them know she would not be in the next day for work.
“Hi Michelle, it’s Avril, one of your most loved pains in the arse,” she said in the voicemail, The Fair Work Commission said.
“Um it’s Anzac Day, my birthday, and I admit I have overindulged so I’m taking into account one of the golden rules, be fit for work, and I’m not going to be fit for work so I won’t be there.
“But um love ya, catch ya on the flip side.”
When Avril returned to work on April 27, she was given a letter from her boss alleging misconduct and telling her she was being stood down with no pay.
Top Comments
I read the news article about this. There had been a similar situation in December, so it wasn't the first instance. There were also emails back and forth between Avril and the manager after the incident in April, and she was not at all apologetic. And actually, she could have been fairly honest but still respectful and apologetic. Something like "I'm really sorry to let you down, but I've had family show up unexpectedly and I won't be able to work tomorrow." It's stupid to say you will be too drunk. That just makes you look like you are irresponsible and don't care about your job.
Ah, in that case...
I can see where the employer is coming from, she called in the early evening the day before she would miss. She basically told her employer she planned to drink so much that she would not be at work the next day because she would be hungover. She could have limited her drinking, just waited until the morning and called in without relating the source of her illness, or just not have flat out told her boss she was drinking too much and had no intention to stop. The employer can do as they want if they feel the employee has taken advantage of their sick days or any other policy. Where I live here in the US, an employer does not even need a reason to let you go, they can just fire you if they feel like it.