Sacked accountant awarded $17,000

An Auckland accountant, fired for sending "confrontational" emails and seeking to look at complaints laid against her by fellow staff, has been awarded about $17,000 by the Employment Relations Authority.

Vicki Walker had been employed as a financial controller with ProCare Health for over two years when she was dismissed in December 2007.

ProCare told the authority Ms Walker had caused disharmony in the workplace by using block capitals, bold typeface and red text in her emails, which was considered confrontational by other staff members.

Ms Walker had also acted provocatively in seeking to view complaints laid against her by colleagues.

Reviving the complaints would escalate tensions and necessitate a formal investigation, ProCare said in a letter to Ms Walker.

Ms Walker's legal representative, Dan Gardiner, said his client accepted a small number of emails could have been better worded. However, ProCare did not have an etiquette guide in place so it was unclear what was considered acceptable.

Ms Walker was entitled to view and formally respond to complaints against her, Mr Gardiner said.

Authority member Alastair Dumbleton said Ms Walker received no warnings and her dismissal had been unjustified.

Ms Walker had contributed to disharmony in the workplace, but not to the extent that dismissal was fair or reasonable.

She had been a capable and competent employee, he said.

"Her diligence, commitment, single-mindedness and purposefulness with regard to getting the job done may explain to some extent why friction with others outside the finance department developed."

The authority awarded Ms Walker $2638 in lost wages and around $3000 to compensate for the discrepancy between her current and former salaries.

She was also awarded $11,500 for the harm caused to her by the dismissal, which had come as a "severe blow".

"Ms Walker suffered considerable hurt feelings, humiliation and distress at being singled out by the act of dismissal as the person largely if not solely responsible for the disharmony at ProCare," Mr Dumbleton said.

- NZPA