The Workplace Relations Commission awarded a company director and administrator €13,240 after finding that a landscaping company unfairly dismissed her. Adjudication Officer Patricia Owens found the company’s stated redundancy was not genuine and it had not followed a fair procedure.
In a decision dated 20 June 2023, the WRC found that personal matters and conduct arising from them were the real reasons for the dismissal. The adjudicator said the director had acted inappropriately, but that a reasonable employer would have used progressive disciplinary steps rather than treat the conduct as gross misconduct.
The company cited a breakdown in the working relationship, alleged misconduct and a reorganisation of duties. The director said the allegations had not been raised with her before dismissal and that she had no chance to respond or appeal. The WRC found that she had provided no evidence of efforts to find other work and took this into account when setting compensation for her loss.