So the question is - Did Ben make notes and were they found?
I'm so far behind and this may have already been discussed.
If they have been found, it has not been mentioned but there would be a lot for him to remember. Even things like vaccinations vary from location to location. The basics remain the same but other vaccinations would be regional. Herd stocking ratios also vary from region to region and would be another reason for notes.
It's illegal to fire Canadian employees after a short period of employment without cause and there are legal procedures that must be followed. First warning can be verbal but must be noted on record that warning has been made. Second warning must be in writing, with with an established reason for the written warning as well as what procedures employee and supervisor will take to rectify the situation. Third warning must also be written and documented, including first and second warnings as well as discussed strategy for change but at that time, an employee can be given a designated period of suspension, which should be noted in the company safety manual/handbook. At that point, no further warnings are required and an employee can be terminated without a severance package. This process, in a big corporation, often takes over a year because warnings and review of warnings happen at employee evaluation time or at 3 - 6 month intervals.
There are grounds for immediate dismissal without severance payments or warnings but they are legally established as actions injurious to the company and one needs to have some serious documented proof - more notes. Most common reasons for immediate termination would be verified theft of company property or verified theft by way of falsified time sheets.
I can't imagine there are no notes because most supervisors keep track of short term, mid term and long term goals. Ben should have had a plan as to what tasks needed to be done Monday morning, the rest of the week and in comming months. Employee requests are not uncommon either (feed, drug cabinet, fuel tanks running low, can you pick up shoes or a new rasp next trip to town, etc).
In my opinion, there are notes and I don't think they would be overly difficult to locate. A trick I learned years ago was to send myself text messages but I have a a feeling that the RCMP has some idea his observations.
