Bell Canada's parent company BCE fires employees for faking attendance; Workers caught in 'swipe and go' scandal as one worker reportedly visited office only for gym

BCE Inc., the parent company of Bell Canada, has terminated a handful of employees, who violated the company's code of conduct, after discovering cases of faked office attendance linked to a so-called 'swipe-and-go' practice, reported The Globe and Mail. According to the outlet, one employee particularly visited the office mainly to use the company gym before leaving. Bell said it has maintained a three-day in-office policy for most of its corporate employees. The incident has sparked wider debate around hybrid work policies and workplace accountability as more companies tighten return-to-office requirements.

After conducting an internal investigation, BCE said it uncovered multiple cases of employees allegedly manipulating office attendance records. According to the company, some workers would briefly enter the workplace, scan their access cards to register attendance, and then leave shortly afterward without remaining on-site for work. According to The Globe and Mail, the company said the incidents were identified at offices in several regions across Canada. The company said the action did not involve any unionized employees and clarified that the dismissals were not part of a broader workforce reduction initiative.

In one reported case, an employee allegedly scanned their card shortly before midnight and then again just after midnight in an apparent attempt to make it appear they had attended the office on two separate days. Another case involved a worker who reportedly entered the building primarily to use the company gym before departing soon afterward. The company described the conduct as a violation of its workplace attendance expectations.


“In each case, there was a thorough investigation and individuals were presented with clear evidence of their misconduct,” said Bell spokesperson Luc Levasseur as quoted by the outlet.

“The majority of individuals admitted to deliberate and repeated falsification of workplace attendance,” he further said.

However, several companies and the federal government have recently tightened their return-to-office rules, as reported by The Globe and Mail, with many now requiring employees to work on-site five days a week.