Employee Fired For 45-Cent Car Charge At Work Scores $9,000 Settlement

A growing number of companies have installed charging stations for employees, but charging at work cost one man his job.

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According to the Düsseldorf Regional Labor Court, a receptionist working at a hostel parked his plug-in hybrid Volkswagen Golf in front of the building and ran a charging cable all the way to an outlet located in the hallway of the “seminar wing.”

While the man got a free charge, his boss wasn’t amused. Quite the opposite as she terminated his employment two days later on January 14, 2022. This was done “without notice” and seems a bit harsh for someone who had been an employee since July 1, 2018.

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The man was upset and went to authorities, who initially sided with him. However, as German media reports, his boss appealed that decision so the case ended up in a Düsseldorf court. There, the 8th Chamber found “unauthorized charging of the private vehicle at the employer’s expense is, in itself, a reason for dismissal. This is especially true if charging takes place at a 220 volt socket and not at a wallbox or setup charging station.”

That being said, there were apparently questions about whether or not the charging had been unauthorized. The court added “there was more evidence to suggest that a warning would have been sufficient in this specific case” as firing the employee was likely a “disproportionate” response.

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It’s hard to argue with that as the employee only ‘stole’ €0.41 ($0.45 / £0.35) worth of electricity. The court also noted employees were allowed to charge other electronic devices, such as cell phones. Given this and other findings, the court said “a warning would probably have been enough, given that the period of employment has so far been free of complaints.”

In the end, a settlement agreement was reached and the parties agreed to change things to an “ordinary termination” that occurred on February 28, 2022. The employee was also granted a severance payment of €8,000 ($8,753 / £6,331).