BCE, a major Canadian corporation that includes Bell, has dismissed several employees for breaching workplace attendance and remote work policies. However, there are allegations that these terminations were unjust and aimed at avoiding severance payouts. Bell’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Nikki Moffat, mentioned in an internal email that the fired employees were misrepresenting their presence at work. Nevertheless, the terminated workers have disputed this claim on social media and in discussions with CBC News.
Among the accusations leveled against those let go, Bell asserts that some employees were observed “swiping in and leaving shortly after,” according to Moffat’s communication. Contrary to this, individuals contacted by CBC News, along with Jean-Alexandre De Bousquet, a lawyer representing over 30 terminated Bell employees, argue otherwise. De Bousquet stated that many of these individuals never physically worked in the office, even before the pandemic, contradicting Bell’s claims.
Bell refuted the assertion that hundreds of employees were terminated, labeling the figure as inaccurate. The company declined to disclose the specific number of terminations or the names of those impacted, stating that only a “small number” of employees were let go. While Bell mandates its corporate office staff to be present at the office for at least two days a week since 2022 and three days since 2023, De Bousquet and his clients contest this policy change, claiming that employees who were terminated had previously received explicit approval from their managers for their working arrangements.
De Bousquet highlighted that many of his clients were dismissed without prior warnings or suspensions. He and several terminated workers believe that Bell terminated them for economic reasons, alleging that the company cited misconduct to circumvent paying severance. Bell, on the other hand, maintains that the terminations were due to clear violations of its code of conduct, following thorough investigations with evidence presented to the employees.
The recent terminations at Bell follow previous job cuts in late 2025, where Bell Canada slashed 650 management positions and 40 news division roles as part of efforts to reduce debt and drive growth. While Bell reported a four percent increase in operating revenue in the first quarter of this year, driven partly by growth in AI services revenue and declines in traditional services like phone and TV, profits at parent company BCE have dipped.
As Bell enforces strict attendance policies amidst the return of white-collar employees to the office post-pandemic, disputes over remote work policies have become common across Canadian workplaces. Toronto employment lawyer Sundeep Gokhale noted that employers generally have the authority to dictate employees’ work locations unless specified otherwise in their contracts. In cases of employee dismissal, Gokhale emphasized the need for warnings and disciplinary actions before termination, stating that firing employees with just cause, resulting in immediate termination without severance, is a high legal threshold.
The outcome of the situation at Bell will hinge on the evidence presented in each individual employee’s case, with courts typically viewing theft, fraud, or record falsification as serious offences justifying immediate termination without severance.
