Latest news with #Gitpod
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Sacked exec who spent night drunk in sauna on work trip wins discrimination case
Shannon Burns was sacked from her job as vice president of engineering at Gitpod after a work trip in Austria - she blasted her former company as full of 'tech bros' A female executive with ADHD who was sacked from her six-figure salary job after spending the night drunk in a sauna on a work trip has won a disability discrimination case. Shannon Burns was let go as vice president of engineering at software company Gitpod, where she earned a staggering £220,000 a year. Her bosses claimed that their confidence in her had been eroded following a booze-fuelled team building event in Austria. She ended up losing her room keys on one night and was unable to wake up her roommate to get back in. After giving up trying, Shannon headed to the sauna in the building and spent the night there. Soon after, she received a message from a senior executive saying she must 'lead the team by example' and 'stay in control'. Shannon was fired two months after the sauna incident. The executive slammed the company as 'male dominated' and filled with 'tech bros'. She added that a male colleague was much more drunk than she had been on the trip - but faced no punishment. Shannon, from the US, was headhunted by Gitpod in 2022 after previously working for Silicon Valley firm Slack. As well as her salary, the new job gave her access to an equity package potentially worth more than £30million. A tribunal in Birmingham ruled that, although she had been drinking before sleeping in the sauna, she experienced a 'great deal of forgetfulness' as a result of her ADHD and that this contributed to her losing the keys. Shannon is now in line for compensation. Employment Judge Rachel Wedderspoon, however, dismissed the worker's claims that she was the victim of gender discrimination and said her sacking was instead due to displaying 'a lack of professionalism'. The tribunal heard how she would regularly lose items, such as keys and phone, due to her condition. In February 2023, she went as far as asking the company's HR head for an ADHD coach because she was 'deeply overwhelmed' with the her workload and suffering from intense anxiety. Shannon said in a witness statement: "My male colleagues were drinking alcohol/drunk at the offsite but I was the only one who was dismissed. One of my male colleagues behaved in a far more damaging way for both his own reputation and for Gitpod after 'consuming alcohol' at the offsite." Judge Wedderspoon said Shannon accepted her 'impairments were exacerbated by the consumption of alcohol', adding that she was going through a 'very difficult period' in her life and had cried and seemed drunk at the event. She went on: '[Shannon] had consumed quite a lot of alcohol on one night of the offsite when she got locked out of her room. However, being disorganised and forgetful may be features of ADHD. "The Tribunal found that losing her keys on the first occasion and being locked out was likely to be something arising from her forgetfulness, a feature of [Shannon's] ADHD. However, drinking alcohol is likely to have played a part of being locked out later in the evening. "Insofar as [Shannon] was criticised for being locked out in the evening the tribunal finds that this was likely in part to be as a result of the combination of her alcohol consumption and her forgetfulness which is a something arising from her disability of ADHD." The employment tribunal was told that Shannon had been diagnosed with ADHD in 2015. A hearing to decide on the amount of her compensation is due at a later date.
Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Sacked executive who slept in sauna wins disability claim over ADHD
A female executive who was sacked for allegedly becoming so drunk at a work event that she slept in a sauna was discriminated against due to her ADHD, an employment tribunal has ruled. Shannon Burns, who earned £220,000 a year as vice-president of engineering at German firm Gitpod, was dismissed for her behaviour at an off-site event in Lofer, Austria, in 2023. She was told her behaviour had 'eroded trust and confidence' and she should 'lead by example' as a senior employee of the software development company. Burns, who used to work at US technology giant Slack before she was headhunted for the role at Gitpod in the UK, said her male colleagues were 'far more intoxicated' and faced no punishment. She also claimed there was a 'tech bro' culture at the company. • 'Tech bros' sued by woman who slept in sauna after drunken night Burns, who was diagnosed with ADHD in 2015, claimed she was discriminated against by her former company for both her sex and disability. Employment judge Rachel Wedderspoon dismissed Burns's claim of sexual discrimination, noting her 'lack of professionalism' had nothing to do with her gender. However, the judge backed the former executive's disability claim, saying Burns's ADHD had contributed to a 'great deal of forgetfulness', including losing the keys to her hotel room on the night of the off-site function. Burns is now eligible for compensation. The tribunal was told that Burns, who was hired in late 2002, had requested an ADHD coach in February 2023 after feeling 'deeply overwhelmed' with her workload and experiencing a high level of anxiety. Concerns were raised in March 2023 about Burns's performance, with Johannes Landgraf, the Gitpod chief executive, telling a colleague that Burns was 'not a superstar' and that he would not hire her again. Landgraf was not aware of her disability at the time, the tribunal was told. At the team-building event in Austria in April 2023, Burns and other staff, including Landgraf, had been drinking. It was noted Burns, who had been experiencing a 'very difficult period' in her life at the time, had cried and appeared drunk at the event, including 'slurring her words'. Later that evening Burns went back to her room but could not find her key and was unable to wake her roommate to be let in. The tech executive eventually gave up and went to sleep in the sauna. The tribunal was told Burns later received a message from a senior male executive who said she must 'lead the team by example' and 'stay in control'. He went on to say that he had heard comments that Burns had 'got too drunk and fallen asleep in the sauna room'. • 'Day-one' employment rights spark business backlash After the event Landgraf had concerns about Burns's 'lack of professional accountability' and behaviours which were 'incompatible with executive responsibility'. In June, Burns was invited to a meeting where she was dismissed. In her witness statement, Burns said: 'My male colleagues were drinking alcohol/drunk at the off-site but I was the one who was dismissed.' The judge said Burns had accepted her 'impairments were exacerbated by the consumption of alcohol'. Upholding her disability discrimination claims, Wedderspoon admitted Burns had consumed 'quite a lot' of alcohol on the night she was locked out of her room. 'However, being disorganised and forgetful may be features of ADHD,' she said. 'Insofar as [Burns] was criticised for being locked out in the evening the tribunal finds that this was likely in part to be as a result of the combination of her alcohol consumption and her forgetfulness which is something arising from her disability of ADHD.' The tribunal dismissed her claims of sex discrimination. 'She displayed a lack of professionalism, namely lack of executive presence as vice president. That had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that [Burns] is woman,' Wedderspoon said. A hearing to decide Burns's compensation will take place at a later date.
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Female exec at 'tech bro' software firm was sacked because she wasn't a 'leader', boss tells tribunal as he disputes claims she was fired because she got drunk on Austria work trip
A high-flying female executive who claims she was sacked for getting drunk on a work trip in Austria was actually fired because she wasn't a 'leader', her boss has told an employment tribunal. Shannon Burns - who was on £220,000 a year - is suing for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' software firm that hired her. She alleged that after a work trip to Austria, she was sacked for getting too drunk - despite insisting other men were getting more drunk than her. But the CEO of Gitpod, Johannes Landgraf, disputed allegations made by Ms Burns that she was fired from her role as vice president of engineering for her behaviour on the work trip. The tech boss said Ms Burns was in fact sacked because she was not a 'leader' and had 'fallen far short of the performance expected from a vice president'. And while he claims what happened on the work trip had nothing to do with her dismissal, Mr Landgraf disputed her version of events that the men were more drunk than her. Mr Landgraf told an employment tribunal he had a shot of a 'Swiss pine liquor' with 'trailblazing' Ms Burns - then saw her pour herself a 'large glass of wine', before proceeding to get more drunk than anyone. He claims she displayed 'concerning' behaviour - including losing her room key and having to stay in a sauna room. He said she also lost her iPad and AirPods - and looked 'disheveled' the morning after. Birmingham Employment Tribunal heard she had been headhunted and took on her job with the promise of a six figure salary and an equity package potentially worth over £30million. But soon after joining in January 2023, Ms Burns said she became aware of a problematic culture. She said she had heard Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'Tech Bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros', the tribunal was told. She added it was a 'male dominated' company. At the centre of the tribunal hearing was an 'off-site' work trip in Lofer, Austria, in April 2023. Ms Burns said Mr Landgraf offered her a shot and he had 'several drinks' by this point and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The executive said the line of questioning from Mr Landgraf implied that she was not doing her job adequately. She alleged that following trip she was sacked for getting too drunk in Austria despite other males getting more drunk than her. Now, Mr Landgraf has told the tribunal he 'does not accept her versions of events'. In a joint statement with Gitpod's Head of People Eva Hyder presented to the tribunal, he said: 'At the last night of the Lofer offsite, 5 April 2023, Shannon approached Johannes at the bar where they each had a shot of Swiss pine liquor, an Alpine speciality. 'Johannes recalls that their conversation started with friendly small talk, but it soon became obvious to Johannes that Shannon had already been drinking heavily. 'Johannes's recollection of the conversation differs from that Shannon gives... Shannon initiated a question and answer process and then changed tone abruptly asking Johannes how people could earn his trust. 'She then stated to Johannes in an emotional outburst that she felt he didn't trust her, asked why and asked how she could earn his trust. 'There then followed a broad conversation regarding expectations. 'The conversation finished, Shannon moved away, and Johannes then saw Shannon pour herself a large glass of wine but otherwise had no contact with her for the rest of the evening. 'Shannon has stated... she was intoxicated but no more so than other colleagues. 'Johannes agrees that he and many team members had consumed alcohol, but notes Shannon was clearly more intoxicated than others. 'The next morning, shuttle buses had been booked to take team members to the station and airport. 'Mike [Brevoort, chief product officer] recalls that Shannon's team members were waiting with the airport shuttle having loaded their bags. 'Mike was stepping out of the hotel when Shannon's room mate came to say Shannon would be late as Shannon was still packing and had lost her iPad and AirPods and had locked herself out of the room (the second such similar event). 'Shannon eventually emerged from the hotel dishevelled and visibly stressed some 20 minutes later. 'Shannon subsequently confirmed to Mike that she had misplaced her iPad and AirPods, had locked herself out of her room and had needed to sleep in the sauna room.' Mr Landgraf and the other respondents denied that there was a 'tech bro' environment. The statement said there had been performance concerns with Ms Burns since she joined. It said: 'Shannon had fallen far short of the performance expected from a Vice President. 'She had never transitioned from being the manager she had been in previous roles elsewhere into being a leader, taking ownership of matters. 'Shannon didn't deliver on time and needed help from others to deliver late. 'She required many hours of support and coaching each week...' Ms Burns was told that 'sleeping in a sauna area and being late for the shuttle was concerning' but her behaviour in Austria was not the reason for her dismissal, according to the Gitpod response statement. It added: 'Shannon was not dismissed or treated less favourably in any other way because she is a woman. 'She was not dismissed because she was drunk at Lofer... No team member has ever been dismissed for being drunk. 'Shannon was dismissed for the performance-related reasons described above.' Ms Burns - who has ADHD and dyslexia - also seeks claims of disability discrimination. The hearing continues.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Female exec 'sacked from £220k job for getting drunk at work trip to Austria' lost her room key and showed 'concerning' behaviour after 'drinking heavily', 'tech bro' CEO tells tribunal
A high-flying female executive who claims she was sacked for getting drunk on a work trip in Austria was 'drinking heavily' and 'clearly more intoxicated than others', her boss has told an employment tribunal. Shannon Burns - who was on £220,000 a year - is suing for sex discrimination after complaining of the rampant 'tech bro' culture at the 'male-dominated' firm that hired her. But the CEO of Gitpod, Johannes Landgraf, claims she displayed 'concerning' behaviour - including losing her room key and having to stay in a sauna room. He said she also lost her iPad and AirPods - and looked 'disheveled' the morning after. Mr Landgraf told an employment tribunal he had a shot of a 'Swiss pine liquor' with 'trailblazing' Ms Burns - then saw her pour herself a 'large glass of wine', before proceeding to get more drunk than anyone. The tech boss disputed allegations made by Ms Burns that she was fired at his company for her behaviour on at the work trip despite her inebriated male colleagues not facing punishment. He said Ms Burns, a vice president of engineering at Gitpod, was fired because she was not a 'leader'. Birmingham Employment Tribunal heard she had been headhunted and took on her job with the promise of a six figure salary and an equity package potentially worth over £30million. But soon after joining in January 2023, Ms Burns said she became aware of a problematic culture. She said she had heard Mr Landgraf had a reputation of being a 'Tech Bro who liked to surround himself with fellow tech bros', the tribunal was told. She added it was a 'male dominated' company. At the centre of the tribunal hearing was an 'off-site' work trip in Lofer, Austria, in April 2023. Ms Burns said Mr Landgraf offered her a shot and he had 'several drinks' by this point and was 'slurring his words and struggling to stand'. Ms Burns said she was invited to partake in a 'game' which involved asking 'difficult' questions to one another about work. The executive said the line of questioning from Mr Landgraf implied that she was not doing her job adequately. She alleged that following trip she was sacked for getting too drunk in Austria despite other males getting more drunk than her. Now, Mr Landgraf has told the tribunal he 'does not accept her versions of events'. In a joint statement with Gitpod's Head of People Eva Hyder presented to the tribunal, he said: 'At the last night of the Lofer offsite, 5 April 2023, Shannon approached Johannes at the bar where they each had a shot of Swiss pine liquor, an Alpine speciality. 'Johannes recalls that their conversation started with friendly small talk, but it soon became obvious to Johannes that Shannon had already been drinking heavily. 'Johannes's recollection of the conversation differs from that Shannon gives... Shannon initiated a question and answer process and then changed tone abruptly asking Johannes how people could earn his trust. 'She then stated to Johannes in an emotional outburst that she felt he didn't trust her, asked why and asked how she could earn his trust. 'There then followed a broad conversation regarding expectations. 'The conversation finished, Shannon moved away, and Johannes then saw Shannon pour herself a large glass of wine but otherwise had no contact with her for the rest of the evening. 'Shannon has stated... she was intoxicated but no more so than other colleagues. 'Johannes agrees that he and many team members had consumed alcohol, but notes Shannon was clearly more intoxicated than others. 'The next morning, shuttle buses had been booked to take team members to the station and airport. 'Mike [Brevoort, chief product officer] recalls that Shannon's team members were waiting with the airport shuttle having loaded their bags. 'Mike was stepping out of the hotel when Shannon's room mate came to say Shannon would be late as Shannon was still packing and had lost her iPad and AirPods and had locked herself out of the room (the second such similar event). 'Shannon eventually emerged from the hotel dishevelled and visibly stressed some 20 minutes later. 'Shannon subsequently confirmed to Mike that she had misplaced her iPad and AirPods, had locked herself out of her room and had needed to sleep in the sauna room.' Mr Landgraf and the other respondents denied that there was a 'tech bro' environment. The statement said there had been performance concerns with Ms Burns since she joined. It said: 'Shannon had fallen far short of the performance expected from a Vice President. 'She had never transitioned from being the manager she had been in previous roles elsewhere into being a leader, taking ownership of matters. 'Shannon didn't deliver on time and needed help from others to deliver late. 'She required many hours of support and coaching each week...' Ms Burns was told that 'sleeping in a sauna area and being late for the shuttle was concerning' but her behaviour in Austria was not the reason for her dismissal, according to the Gitpod response statement. It added: 'Shannon was not dismissed or treated less favourably in any other way because she is a woman. 'She was not dismissed because she was drunk at Lofer... No team member has ever been dismissed for being drunk. 'Shannon was dismissed for the performance-related reasons described above.' Ms Burns - who has ADHD and dyslexia - also seeks claims of disability discrimination. The hearing continues.
Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Times
‘Tech bros' sued by female who slept in sauna after drunken night
A female executive who was sacked for allegedly becoming so drunk at a work event she slept in a sauna is now suing the company — claiming that male colleagues who were 'far more intoxicated' were not punished. Shannon Burns is suing the software company Gitpod amid claims that a rampant 'tech bro' culture existed at the 'male-dominated' business. An employment tribunal has been told that Burns was headhunted for a senior role at Gitpod, which came with a £220,000 salary and an equity package potentially worth more than £30 million. Burns has claimed that soon after taking up the position she became aware of problems with the company's working culture. The American executive — who the tribunal was told suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity
