Oz employee sacked for doing too much work

MELBOURNE - An Aussie man was sacked after 14 years working for RailCorp when his bosses found that he was managing a lot of other things apart from his main job.

Ping Han ran an insulation business, a travel agency, an interpreting service, a migration agency and also managed several rental properties while working at his “proper job” - as a RailCorp clerk, reports the Herald Sun.

He lost an appeal this month to the Transport Appeals Board for using his employer’s time and resources to run his stable of small businesses.

Documents stated a RailCorp investigation found he breached its code of conduct by not declaring his secondary employment and used his email and other work resources for personal affairs.

Han pleaded guilty to breaching RailCorp’s code of conduct, which says employees have to declare any secondary employment. But he claimed the sacking was extreme and he did not understand the policy “completely or correctly” because it had changed in 2007.

“I tried to declare secondary employment in 2007 but as the form had changed I did not understand if, or how, I was meant to declare it from 2007 onwards,” Han said in a statement tendered to the tribunal.

The tribunal heard evidence that while Han was “not derelict” in his duties to RailCorp but he was “more frequently engaged in his personal documents” than work-related activity.

Commissioner Peter Connor said that it was logical for RailCorp to conclude that Han was spending time on work not related to RailCorp.

Connor said it was likely one of Han’s colleagues may have complained as it may have been perceived he was “not pulling his weight”.

Han told investigators he was the only bread winner in his family and the loss of his job would put his family under considerable hardship, the tribunal heard.

In dismissing the appeal Connor said Han displayed initiative but the evidence presented that his initiative seemed to be directed at his personal interests rather than his work with RailCorp. (ANI)