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Question:
We took on a woman recently who said that she had a degree in marketing but we have since discovered that she merely did a correspondence course in the subject and has no qualifications whatsoever. Are we entitled to dismiss her summarily for gross misconduct?
Answer:
I think this is on the borderline of gross misconduct so I would not risk it. Instead, as the woman has less than one year of service, you can dismiss without fair reason, though should nevertheless go through your disciplinary procedure and then dismiss with notice. However, what is her performance like? If she gets results, does it matter that she is not a graduate? I suggest that you tell her what you now know and state that you are disappointed about her dishonesty but nevertheless will give her chance to prove that she can do the job effectively. If she fails, you can dismiss her for incapability. But put this down in a letter to her.
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