1: “I resign” does not count

“I hand in my resignation!”, a frustrated team leader in the baggage department at Schiphol sent an urgent email to his manager after he was passed over for a promotion. The man later retracted his words, but his employer forced him to leave.

However, the District Court in Haarlem did not give the green light for this. The judge initially found the email to be quite clear, but given the context, it should not be considered a “true” filing for dismissal.

2: “Roast” of bars

A speech at a company party that was supposed to be funny, but went completely wrong, has cost a carpenter from Sliedrecht his job after working flawlessly for 28 years.

In the letter, the employee expressed his frank criticism of useless spending and poor communication on the part of the company. One director described him as “loyal as a whore in heat.” The man then expressed his regret and said that he meant his words to be “grilled.” Without avail.

3: Mixing the ashes after burning

A DELA funeral director was allowed to fire an employee who was involved in accidentally mixing the ashes of two cremated bodies.

It is noteworthy that the painful incident in itself did not lead to dismissal. At first, the woman was just reprimanded, but she resisted. The two parties then found themselves on a collision course and the working relationship became so disrupted that the judge saw no way out but to force the woman to leave.

4: Visiting the doctor after a fall: Exit

A Limburg company wrongly fired a paving contractor because he went to the doctor after a fall and then no longer showed up for work.

According to the employer, there was a refusal of work and the man did not have to return. According to the judge, the employee had called in sick and should not have been fired. The paving contractor did not get his job back, but he received a severance pay of more than 15,000 euros.

5. Secret three jobs

An employee who secretly worked full-time for three housing associations at the same time was not rewarded for his work ethic. On the contrary: the man lost his three jobs. To make matters worse, he had to repay two of his three employers together about €90,000 in wrongly paid salaries.

6. Dismissal after Efteling’s visit

Fifteen students from a special education school in Amsterdam were supposed to go on a school trip to the Space Expo in Noordwijk this spring, but their teacher secretly took them to Efteling. The school and parents knew nothing. According to the judge, the dismissal was justified. The teacher disagreed and announced the appeal.

7: Holding the bone after walking the dog

An employee of a technology wholesaler has been insulted at least twice this year. After his divorce, the man found it difficult to walk his dog. His employer solved this problem by giving him €108 per month for the walking service. However, after a few months, the man allowed his ex-wife or children to walk his dog, while he continued to collect compensation.

When this was discovered, the man himself was released. By the employer. His protest against the dismissal was rejected. First by the district court judge, then on appeal by the Court of Appeal.

8. Old bike saddle

Every year, RTL Z describes remarkable cases in which a relatively minor crime has far-reaching consequences for employment law. This year also, a number of these “essential matters” were discussed. For example, an official from the municipality of Zuidplas lost his job after he replaced his broken bicycle saddle with a replica of a bicycle in a scrapyard, despite an impeccable employment contract for more than 12 years.

9. There is no such thing as a “free lunch.”

A department manager at a Jumbo supermarket probably regrets that she regularly eats a sandwich from the store without paying for it. As a result, she lost her job after 42 years of work. She was also able to obtain the €168,000 severance pay she requested.

Instead, she had to pay Jumbo nearly ten thousand euros in compensation. For example, she was responsible for billing the company’s assigned informant and the estimated costs of the sandwiches and toppings she ate.

10. Unhealthy treatment of patients

Last year there were an above-average number of cases in which employers were reprimanded for unsanitary treatment of sick employees.

For example, due to the stress of a fallen baker and an overworked secretary. Or incorrectly, following up on a sick employee and firing him who was “dancing and jumping” at a festival.

In all cases, the criminal act carried a heavy price for the employer. The largest account was ING, and thus it was selected in the top 10 accounts. Years of neglect by an ailing business consultant has cost the bank at least three-quarters of a million euros.