The Fair Work Commission recently found that Qantas did not unfairly terminate an employee for giving away discounted international airfares. Qantas argued that the employee had breached company policy. The FWC agreed that the employee had been made aware of the relevant company policies, and had been provided with a letter outlining the allegations and the nature of the policy they had breached. The employee was also given a reasonable opportunity to respond to the allegations before a meeting was held.
This demonstrates that employers can fairly terminate employees, provided the employees are made aware of company policies not just at the beginning of their employment, but at various points throughout their employment. Employers must always follow procedure and take in account all relevant factors, no matter how simple the matter may seem.