Spreading rumours at work is indeed a sackable offence, with the decision to sack a Global Cranes worker who spread “salacious” rumours being upheld by the workplace watchdog.

Former Global Cranes employee Kym Reedy was fired in December last year after it was found that she spread rumours about her employer's sex life and supposed drug use.

She filed a complaint to the Fair Work Australia Commission, but it found that Global Cranes managing director Fred Vidaic was within his rights, as the commission found that such a breach of trust was a good enough reason to terminate a person's employment.
Commission deputy president Reg Hamilton found that there had been a valid reason for the employee’s sacking, and said her employerhad the right to expect a higher degree of loyalty and co-operation than was received from the complainant.

“It would be grossly unreasonable to expect an employer to work with, to trust and rely upon, an employee in these circumstances,” he said. “This constitutes a valid reason for termination.”

Employer groups and lawyers warn the case is a lesson for both workers and their employers. Chamber of Commerce Queensland President David Goodwin said that companies can be found liable for damages if they do not appropriately address workplace gossip.
"You have to take employees aside and give them a formal warning and if they are not going to heed that warning they have to be removed," he said.

Harmer Lawyers managing partner Shana Schreier-Joffe said the problem was growing with the prevalence of social media sites.
She said she has dealt with cases where employees have also been caught for posting inappropriate work-related content on the internet, with this also being classified as gossip or bullying. “We are seeing more [employees] being terminated for things put on Facebook,” Schreier-Joffe said.

Queensland Council of Unions assistant secretary Amanda Richards said she was aware of several similar cases but it came down to community standards.

“In some cases it can be harassment,” she said. “We all gossip, it's human nature, it's just a matter of how vicious it becomes.”