Health Worker Compared to Darth Vader by Colleagues Awarded Nearly $40,000
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A blood donation supervisor in the U.K.'s publicly-funded healthcare system has been awarded £28,989.61 (approximately $38,500), according to the BBC, after an employment tribunal found that being compared to Star Wars villain Darth Vader by colleagues constituted a workplace "detriment."
The tribunal heard that National Health Service (NHS) employee Lorna Rooke was associated with the Sith Lord during a team-building exercise, based on a Star Wars-themed personality questionnaire that her colleague, Amanda Harber, completed on her behalf without her knowledge or consent.
Why It Matters
The NHS is the U.K.'s largest public sector employer.
The case underscores the potential risks of informal workplace activities, particularly those involving personality assessments or character comparisons.
It emphasizes the duty of employers to foster a respectful environment and demonstrates that even humorous or light-hearted team-building efforts can have serious consequences if perceived as demeaning.
File photo: a Darth Vader costumed character participates in the Star Wars themed Empire State Building lighting ceremony on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in New York.
File photo: a Darth Vader costumed character participates in the Star Wars themed Empire State Building lighting ceremony on Thursday, March 21, 2024, in New York.
Evan Agostini/Invision via AP
What To Know
According to the employment tribunal documents, Rooke had filed a complaint that a colleague had compared her to Darth Vader on August 18, 2021, which made her feel "unpopular."
The documents detail that the respondent said this came as part of the whole team taking a Myers-Briggs questionnaire with a Star Wars theme, with the output
characterizing each of them as a character from George Lucas' space opera.
A Myers-Briggs questionnaire is personality assessment tool, which categorizes individuals into 16 different personality types based on their perceptions and how they make decisions.
"The Claimant was temporarily absent from the room, and upon her return was told that Ms Harber had completed the test on her behalf, which had resulted in her being categorized as "Darth Vader," the documents read.
The Darth Vader personality classification was described "as someone who was a very focused individual who brings the team together," the tribunal was told by the NHS Blood and Transplant service.
In the sci-fi franchise, Darth Vader—adorned in a black helmet, mask and armor—is one of the main antagonists, who serves as the ruthless enforcer for a tyrannical galactic empire. He commands fear, uses supernatural powers called "the Force," and is known for his deep, mechanical breathing. Beneath his terrifying exterior, he has a tragic past—once a heroic warrior, he was corrupted by power and manipulated into turning against his allies.
Rooke claimed that Harber "did not have reasonable and proper cause" to complete the test on her behalf, and that it was "collectively calculated or likely to destroy or seriously damage the implied term of trust and confidence" between Rooke and her colleague.
Rooke also made claims of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and others. According to the tribunal documents, Rooke had been determined as having a disability under the Equality Act 2010 by an employment judge, namely "anxiety and low mood."
This came after Rooke had taken September 14, 2020 to 14 March,
2021, off work due to "low mood and stress," while she was "experiencing difficulties with getting her mother's dementia diagnosed" as well as work-related stress.
While the tribunal rejected her additional claims of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, and failure to make reasonable adjustments, it acknowledged the negative impact of the unauthorized comparison on her professional environment.
What People Are Saying
Judge Kathryn Ramsden said: "Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting."
What Happens Next
Although Rooke's claims regarding dismissal and discrimination were not upheld, the case could influence workplace practices and HR policies across the public and private sectors given the recognition of the personality test as being a workplace "detriment."
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