Employer's Delay in Employee Termination Found Improper

The court overturned a lower court's finding that a nearly eight-day delay between an alleged fraudulent act by an employee and her immediate termination was permissible, ruling that an employer must organize itself to ensure prompt dismissal proceedings, even when key decision-makers are unexpectedly absent. The employer argued the delay was due to complex internal structures, a pending merger, and multiple abseent leaders, but the appellate court found that the delay resulted from accumulating individual absences rather than an inherently complex decision-making process, concluding that the employer failed to implement necessary delegation mechanisms to ensure the right to immediate termination was not forfeited due to fortuitous unavailability, especially since the core facts were established by October 14th.