What is Gross Misconduct?

Gross misconduct refers to employee actions that employers consider unethical, unprofessional, and short of company standards. What that means in practice varies from one employer to another, depending on a company’s list of gross offenses.

However, all employers view gross misconduct as acts that warrant immediate termination of employee contracts. Also known as summary dismissal, this punishment is often handed to employees without notice for behaving in a way that can cause other employees or the company harm, even if it’s a first offense.

Sometimes, employers may also withhold an employee’s salary if their misconduct causes a company extensive financial damage.