The WRC recommended no further action on a beauty products counter manager’s grievance against a marketing, sales and distribution company, in a decision dated 26 January 2023. The dispute concerned how the company handled her sick pay, absence and workplace grievance.
The employee said communications from her division manager were sometimes abrupt and that she had been treated unfairly over her return to work, duties, leave and product allocations. The employer said its grievance process was thorough and fair.
The adjudication officer found no evidence that the employee had been treated disrespectfully and considered that the division manager had communicated clearly and patiently. The officer also considered the request to postpone parental leave reasonable given the business circumstances, and found the employer’s request for information about her location and return date was not unreasonable. The recommendation was to take no further action on the grievance and for the employee to work with her line manager and seek support from the company’s employee assistance programme as she prepared to return to work.