“This is the standard for company vehicles. It’s an insurance thing. Legally Verizon could have fired him.”
You’re absolutely right. It was a judgment call on Verizon’s part. I think if I were that employee’s supervisor, I would have given him a written record of a verbal warning. No harm done, no need to make a federal case out of it.
On the other hand, had something bad happened as a result of the feline rescue attempt, punishment would be more severe and in accordance with the damage done.
These days,I doubt his local manager (supervisors are old fashioned) had any say in the matter. The decision was made at HR.
If they go too lightly on this gent, then they can also be sued later on when someone else does it and they come down hard. Verizon is in a no-win situation.