An Australian woman has received a $6,000 compensation payout after she argued she was fired unfairly
The Darwin staffer who worked at a recruitment firm was alleged to have called her boss a 'w****r' underneath her breath, which ended up seeing her dismissed from her role.
She also called her boss a 'misogynist' when speaking about them to other colleagues at labour hire firm Celotti Workforce.
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She appealed to the Fair Work Commission and said it was a case of unfair dismissal.
The case took several interesting twists and turns as it navigated through the complaints.
The Fair Work Commission rejected her plea to be reinstated in her role at Celotti Workforce because they determined her behaviour and language in the office against senior management was 'gross insubordination'.
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The 56-year-old apparently would roll her eyes during morning meetings and mutter 'you are a f**king wanker' about the general manager.
They also declared she was guilty of 'deliberate agitation' of colleagues and 'persistent workplace bullying'.
The trial heard the woman made several problematic statements like 'look at his pants, a real man would have a bulge', which she denied saying.
She also rejected the allegation that she called one of her junior colleagues a 'little b***h' as well as burping or coughing in another colleague's face.
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The 56-year-old said being fired was a personal, professional and financial disaster. She also claimed it would probably mean she would struggle to get another job because of her age in Darwin.
Despite the allegations against her, she was still entitled to compensation because she was sacked without notice and Celoti Workplace was found to have not followed the correct procedures.
This means she was entitled to a cheeky $6,000 payout, which was based on four weeks of pay, but was told to find work elsewhere.
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Commissioner Paula Spencer said the woman's behaviour didn't go above the threshold for serious misconduct.
"It affected the wellbeing of the other employees of the workplace, contrary to the duty of care owed to them in their employment, but did not cause serious and imminent risk to the health and safety of employees or to the reputation, viability or profitability of the employer's business," she said.
The woman hasn't been able to secure work since the incident, however the Commissioner noted there was evidence she hadn't updated her online profiles.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Australia