Chef who was sacked by WhatsApp message awarded €3,000

Chef received a message from the employer by way of WhatsApp dismissing her with immediate effect and stating she could not work without a valid visa.

A chef has been awarded €3,000 by the Workplace Relations Commission after she was dismissed via WhatsApp from the cafe where she worked.

In making the decision, it was ruled the cafe owner who sacked her had “jumped the gun”.

A case for unfair dismissal was brought after the chef sent a WhatsApp voice note to her employer in November 2024, explaining her immigration permission was in the process of being renewed.

She expressed uncertainty about whether she was entitled to work but later told the WRC this reflected confusion and lack of legal knowledge, not her actual legal status.

Later that same day, she received a message from the employer by way of WhatsApp dismissing her with immediate effect and stating she could not work without a valid visa.

The WRC heard she was explicitly informed she was being removed from the books and the employer would advertise for a new chef.

The employer then removed her from the Revenue system the following day, confirming her employment had ended.

The employer argued there was no dismissal in substance, as the worker was told she could “come back in a heartbeat” once her permission was regularised.

The WRC said in its ruling: “The worker was dismissed by WhatsApp message without any meeting nor any fact-finding process.

“The employer gave no consideration of alternative arrangements nor any opportunity for the worker to clarify her employment status.

“The employer jumped the gun. The decision taken on the same day as the employer’s WhatsApp message to contact Revenue amounted, for all intents and purposes, to a summary dismissal, conducted with no regard for fair procedures.

The WRC also said even where immigration concerns arise, “good practice requires an employer to pause and allow proper verification of the situation — this did not occur.​"

The parties were not named in the WRC report.