The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) disciplined a long-serving employee for bringing a television antenna to work to watch a 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final match, but the three-day suspension was ultimately rescinded after the employee filed a grievance.
Employee's Actions and Initial Suspension
Thom Bartleman, a 27-year veteran rulings officer at the CRA, brought an antenna to his workplace on July 11, 2018, and attached it to a boardroom television to watch the World Cup semi-final between England and Croatia. According to a labour decision released in 2025, Bartleman was initially suspended for three days for setting up the television and allegedly watching the game for about half an hour.
CRA spokesperson Sylvie Branch told the National Post that agency employees are still not permitted to watch World Cup games during working hours. The incident occurred during the 2018 tournament, which Canada co-hosted in 2026, but the policy remains unchanged.
Grievance and Outcome
Bartleman contested the suspension, arguing that he had only watched the match for a few minutes. He stated in a written response to management: "During the lunch. I connected an aerial to a television and watched the television for five minutes to see if it was working. I returned at 3 PM and turned the television on. It was intermission." He also noted that work logs showed he was conducting a work interview until 3 p.m., contradicting a supervisor's claim that he watched from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and refused to return to work.
Arbitrator David Olsen declared the grievance moot because Bartleman had retired years prior and the CRA had dropped the suspension after an investigation. Bartleman argued that the employer should learn "that they can't discipline an employee for no reason," and suggested the CRA should take out a newspaper advertisement to apologize.
CRA's Position
The CRA maintained that Bartleman violated policy by attaching personal items to work equipment without authorization. The employer argued: "The grievor admitted that he brought the antenna into the boardroom and that he attached it to CRA equipment, i.e., the television, without prior authorization. He admitted that it was for the purpose of watching the game. He admitted that it was not for any CRA purpose. He acknowledged advising his colleagues that the game was available to be watched in the boardroom."
Despite the dropped suspension, the CRA emphasized that employees cannot use work equipment for personal entertainment during work hours, even during major sporting events like the World Cup.
