Boss told mechanic to track a colleague’s lunch naps and bathroom breaks, then fired him for being a ‘cry-baby.’ It backfired

In a typical workshop, mechanics focus on engine knocks, fluid leaks, and worn-out brake pads. But one seasoned technician, Siosifa Finau, was given a very different assignment: spying on a colleague. The directive was petty, invasive, and absurd. Instead of focusing on wrenches and diagnostics, the mechanic was ordered to secretly log every time his coworker took a lunchtime nap or walked away to use the restroom. When Finau pushed back against the directive, he was labeled as a “crybaby.” In the end, the company was penalized with more than $97,000, illustrating an important lesson in labor rights. The story was reported on November 11, 2026, by HCA Magazine.

A petty and invasive assignment

Finau, an experienced mechanic, joined the Onehunga-based business, Auto Super Shoppe Mayne Automotive, in 2021. Each day, he worked 7 am to 5 pm on weekdays, with alternating Saturdays. It was smooth sailing until March 2025, when his business co-owner, Doreen Gibbs, asked him to play a spy and monitor a colleague during work hours. Since the instruction came from the owner, Finau didn’t protest and instead remained tight-lipped despite his unwillingness to do the task. For two to three months, as the process continued, it damaged Finau’s relationship with the colleague.

Dividing and conquering

Eventually, the colleague began to express their frustration. Once, they accused Finau of leaving the workshop door unlocked. Finau quietly started asking his family members to keep an eye on the colleague while they locked up. On April 3, 2025, the colleague confronted the worker and yelled at him in front of the customers. Finau was so distressed by the episode that he had to leave work at lunchtime to see his doctor. He was certified unfit for work until April 21. The following day, his lawyers wrote to the employer, calling out the toxic company culture. They requested two things: that the promised pay rise be implemented and that workers be stopped from dealing with each other about performance reviews.

No one from the company responded. After his medical leave, when Finau returned to the office, he found a “Do not start” sign on his desk near his toolbox. He asked the management to check the CCTV but received no response. Soon Finau’s plight reached the Employment Relations Authority. Describing the situation to the Authority, the worker said Gibbs and her son were running the workshop “like a schoolyard," pitting employees against each other. Between May and June 2025, a series of incidents only proved his point even further.

Series of bullying incidents

A colleague was told not to speak to him. An apprentice was asked to seek help from someone else instead of him. When he texted the owner to request leave because he needed to pick up his stepdaughter and her baby from the hospital, he was told he would have to use annual leave rather than sick leave because he was "not the biological father." On June 9, the manager called him for a meeting and made an allegation of sexual harassment against him. He told him that he had exposed himself to a colleague. When Finau asked to see the evidence, the manager refused. He was also pressured to sign a written warning, but he said no.

On June 25, Finau was pressured to accept the blame for a Warrant of Fitness sticker not placed on a vehicle, a task that was not his responsibility. When he denied it, he was told that he was “full of s---.” Finau was then asked to sign a document without being allowed to read it. When he refused, he was asked to “grow the f--- up,” a “cry baby,” and a “disgrace.” He was asked to pack his tools and leave. The company didn’t even respond to the letters from his lawyer and simply issued his final payslip on July 1, 2025. The Authority found the dismissal unjustifiable.

Workplace Harassment is not uncommon

According to a joint global study by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Lloyd’s Register Foundation, and Gallup, nearly 23% of employed people had experienced some form of violence or harassment at work. Psychological violence and harassment were the most commonly reported type, affecting 17.9% of respondents during their working lives. In the end, the Employment Relations Authority found Finau had been unjustifiably disadvantaged and dismissed. But Finau’s suffering didn’t go to waste.

From a ‘real low point’ to rewarding justice

The Authority awarded Finau about $28,300 (NZ$50,999.63) in lost wages, nearly $13,900 (NZ$25,000) in compensation, and about $8,150 (NZ$14,667.17) in wage and leave arrears. He was also awarded $990 (NZ$1,800) from the statutory penalty, nearly $1,875 (NZ$3,375) toward costs, and $768 (NZ$1,382.55) in disbursements and filing fees. Altogether, Finau was awarded NZ$97,224.35, or about $54,000. The company was separately ordered to pay another NZ$1,800 penalty to the Crown, bringing its total liability under the orders to NZ$99,024.35 or about $55,000, plus interest on the wage arrears.

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