SHORT CASE 12-1: Safety at Petro-Plus Quick Stop

Camilla Conrad has been employed for just over four years as a server at the Petro-Plus Quick Stop (PPQS) restaurant in Kentville, Nova Scotia. PPQS gets extremely busy at times and is popular with local residents, work crews, and truck drivers looking for a place to stop and get a meal. Camilla is 23 years of age and single. She typically works 35-40 hours a week (depending on scheduling requirements). PPQS does not have a formal performance appraisal system but co-workers and her supervisor say that Camilla is a "solid performer" who gets along well with both customers and staff, is dependable, and is willing to help others.

The present case arises out of an incident that occurred just before the start of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Camilla had been away on vacation for two weeks and returned to work in late August. When she left on vacation, she told people at the restaurant that she was going to be in New Brunswick visiting her mother. It turns out she actually drove to Quebec City to see an old friend. Camilla was stopped at the Nova Scotia border and lied to the Nova Scotia border officials that she had only been in New Brunswick. Since the Atlantic Canada bubble was in effect, the officers told her there was no need to self-quarantine for 14 days (which she would have been required to do as she had been in Quebec).

On her first day back on the job, Camilla was chatting with a couple of her co-workers. She told them that she had actually been in Quebec but wanted to get back to work rather than spending 14 days in self-quarantine because she couldn't afford to go without pay for the two weeks. Some customers overhead what Camilla had said and reported this information to management.

The owners of PPQS were very upset. In an effort to keep their business open during COVID-19, they had taken several measures to meet and exceed public health requirements including installing plexiglass barriers between booths, improving the airflow inside, sanitizing surfaces, and enforcing strict physical distancing guidelines.

DISCUSSION QUESTION

1. You are in charge of HR for the restaurant. What action (if any) would you take in this case? Be sure to justify your response.