An IT firm in Aberdeenshire has been ordered to pay a sacked employee nearly £6,000 after an employment tribunal ruled unfair dismissal.
William Gibb sought compensation from his former employers after he was fired from his job in December 2009. The firm, Prosource.it, claims that Mr Gibb fabricated details of an alleged assault upon him by a colleague, resulting in him being sacked for gross misconduct.
Mr Gibb says that he was attacked by his colleague Greg Milne following an argument, where he was grabbed by the throat and pulled out of his chair. He alleges that the company did not spend enough time investigating the incident before deciding that he had fabricated details of what happened and dismissing him. The tribunal stated:
“A reasonable employer would have carried out a more thorough and reliable investigation, particularly where the potential outcome for either Mr Gibb or Mr Milne was so serious.”
Mr Gibb was awarded £5,984 for unfair dismissal.
It is relatively rare, but these sorts of employee incidents do occur from time to time. Organisations are legally required to have employers’ liability insurance (usually in case of employee accident or injury) but it is situations like this where other professional insurance products may also be a vital asset. In particular, commercial legal expenses insurance, which is often included in small business insurance packages.