As you reach the end of the probation period in your work contract, there is a temptation, albeit a small one, to see how far the rules can be bent. As has now been revealed by the Tages-Anzeiger, one banker in Switzerland decided to take the rules and bend them into a pretzel: he was caught spending over 3.000 francs of company money on one raunchy night out in Zurich.
According to the report, the event took place in November 2018 when the new worker had just completed his three-month probation to become a banker. A salary of 160.000 francs a year had been agreed upon, and as part of the perks, he was issued an official company credit card to help pay for a strict number of business-related expenses.
Unfortunately for the company, it turned out that the man had quite a broad definition of what business-related expenses means. On the day his probation was lifted, the man visited a night and strip club for an evening - and morning - of company-compensated debauchery. His night of drinking, which concluded at 7.38am the next day, cost the firm 3.215 francs.
Company officials were most likely shocked and somewhat amused to spot that the man then decided to clock off work at 7.39am the same morning, reporting that he had stomach flu and a fever a few hours later. His case certainly wasn’t helped by the fact he had written off the 3.215-franc charge as “dating services.”
Perhaps feeling unlucky in love, the man decided to do the same trick on November 22, settling a 1.600 franc bill with his company plastic, once again under “dating services”. This was too much for the bank, who sent him a written warning for using the company card irresponsibly and for claiming sick leave when he was woozy for an entirely self-inflicted reason.
Despite the bank warning of “drastic consequences” and setting a 2.000 franc spending limit on the card, the man was caught using “dating services” again in February, costing 1.700 francs - it was also later revealed that he tried to use the card 11 other times in the past for private use, but these were blocked. This was, finally, the last straw for the firm and the man lost his job.
Soon, the man launched an appeal, arguing that he was unfairly dismissed without notice. This was rejected by a labour court in Zurich in September of 2023, who said that he had “grossly” violated his duty as an employee of the bank and ordered him to pay the 150 francs he still owed the bank.