A Mudgee KFC assistant manager accused of pocketing free drinks, taking overlong breaks and leaking sales figures to colleagues was sacked for serious misconduct. The Fair Work Commission has now found her dismissal was harsh, unjust and unreasonable, and ordered the franchisee to pay compensation.
Tara Rennie worked at the Broadview-run KFC store in Mudgee, rising from team member to assistant manager over several years. In mid 2025 the business suspended her and put seven allegations to her, ranging from theft of food and drink to falsifying time records, leaking confidential sales data, chronic lateness, taking breaks longer than allowed, and calling in staff without authorisation, including once offering a cash bonus to anyone who would come in on short notice.
What the Commission decided
Commissioner Ryan found that most of the allegations were made out, at least in part. Ms Rennie was found to have breached the company's social media policy by photographing confidential sales figures on her phone and sharing them in a managers' chat group, which the Commissioner found was done to criticise a colleague rather than for any legitimate reason. She was also found to have been persistently late for work, to have taken breaks well beyond what she was entitled to, and to have called in staff without proper authorisation, including the cash incentive episode.
However, the central theft allegation, that she helped herself to soft drinks worth a few dollars each on four occasions without paying, was not accepted. The Commission found the evidence, mostly short CCTV clips, did not establish to the required standard that she had failed to pay, particularly once it emerged that cash payments into a store
What this means
This case is a reminder that even where a valid reason for dismissal is found and the process is procedurally fair, a dismissal can still be found harsh, unjust or unreasonable, which is why cases like this often turn on arguments about summary dismissal and factors such as an employee's personal circumstances and the degree of any policy breach.