A constructive dismissal claim has been dismissed by
Jersey's Employment Tribunal because the claimant offered to
work an extended notice period so that her employer could find a
replacement.
The case shows – says Walkers senior counsel Daniel Read
– how important it is for employers and employees in disputes
to take legal advice at the earliest possible stage.
The tribunal heard that the claimant in the case, a manager
employed by a local charity who had been in her role for two and a
half years, had offered to extend her contractual notice period of
one month to three months to give the charity time to find a
replacement, and also to give herself time to find another
job.
The tribunal found that the offer to keep working for longer than
necessary conflicted with the claim of constructive dismissal
– which requires an employer to have unreasonably done
something which destroyed or seriously damaged the trust and
confidence between them and the employee.
Daniel said: "What this case shows is how important it is
to get proper legal advice at the earliest possible stage of an
employment dispute.
"The tribunal found in this case that the claimant's
offer to extend her notice period clashed with her claim of unfair
dismissal.
"Seemingly simple steps taken by either an employer or an
employee at the very early stages of a dispute can often have a
significant impact on how a claim proceeds, and this is something
that we see quite regularly in disputes over constructive and
unfair dismissal in particular.
"We would urge anyone involved in a dispute to take advice
from a legal specialist as soon as possible."
Daniel is a Jersey Advocate specialising in employment-related
disputes, and is part of Walkers' Channel Islands'
employment team.
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