Employee Time Theft: Some Challenges

Posted on June 9th, 2023 in Domestic Tax

Close-up of red alarm clock in a cage - Concept of time limit

A January 11, 2023, BC Civil Resolution Tribunal case addressed a claim for wrongful dismissal. The employer filed a counterclaim in respect of a 50-hour discrepancy between the employee’s timesheets and tracking software data over a period of about a month during which the employee was working remotely.

The employee argued that significant hours were spent working from hard copies; however, this was rebutted by records of printer usage and a lack of evidence of such work being uploaded to the employer’s electronic system. The Tribunal accepted the software evidence of time theft, and indicated that this was a “very serious form of misconduct” which justified the employee’s dismissal. The Tribunal further awarded the employer damages of over $2,600, plus interest, for the unaccounted-for time and an unrepaid advance.

ACTION: As employment work models shift, new employment-related challenges may arise.

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Article originally published in: Tax Tips & Traps 2023 Second Quarter – Issue 142.