False claims for compassionate leave resulted in employee having to repay the employer
A court has ordered former HR manager to repay £6,948.25 after she falsely claimed her mother had died in order to take compassionate leave from her employer, where she earned £80,000 a year.
Whilst on leave, she took up a second HR role paying £550 per day. The fraud was uncovered when the council requested a reference from the first employer for a job she had already started. The employee later admitted the deception, which prosecutors described as a clear breach of trust given her senior HR position.
Workplace experts said the case highlights both individual misconduct and wider organisational issues. It could be perceived as a serious act of dishonesty but urged employers to examine workplace culture, dynamics and support systems that may contribute to such behaviour.
Where high-trust cultures exist it should enable employees to seek help before problems escalate, with leaders trained to recognise distress and hold wellbeing-focused conversations.
Contact us on 0800 995 121 to discuss any tricky situations that you are faced with and we can support through our HR Business Partnership unlimited telephone support service.
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