Happ-less

I was intrigued to read this week that Hermann Schulte-Hiltrop, boss of a builders' association in Dortmund, recently fired a long-standing employee for half-inching a meatball.

Magdalene Happ, who had worked for the company for 34 years, set up a buffet lunch for the boss and his business guests. Before the big cheeses tucked in, Happ grabbed a couple of rolls and a frikadeller, a German delicacy of pan-fried meat dumplings.

Happ was soon dismissed, with Schulte-Hiltrop claiming he could no longer trust her.
One employment tribunal and a glut of negative PR later, she was offered an apology and reinstated. Which seems like a fair outcome. Mind you, if I ever caught any of my flock tucking into my bhaji cache, a P45 would be the least of their worries.