Latest news with #LornaRooke
Times
15-05-2025
- Health
- Times
A personality test said I was Darth Vader. I'm so proud
What cake are you? A Battenburg, a baked Alaska with a cool core of logic, or a dependable fruit cake? Which Star Wars character are you? Han Solo, Chewbacca or frank and decisive Princess Leia? These are questions that might be a bit of fun to amuse bored children while stuck in traffic on the M6 but personality questionnaires, which group people into different categories, are used in a surprisingly large number of offices as team-bonding exercises or even in recruitment. Those raising an eyebrow at how sensible this might be have every right to express a Yoda-like scepticism. Last week a judge at an employment tribunal ruled that Lorna Rooke, an NHS worker, had suffered a workplace 'detriment' after she was compared to Darth
Newsweek
08-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
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."
The Guardian
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Luke, I am … an INTJ? Darth Vader would slice hurtful colleagues in half – not take them to an employment tribunal
This is undeniably a bad time to be Darth Vader. A few weeks ago, Tony Gilroy revealed that Vader would not be appearing in his Andor series, despite fans assuming that he would play a significant part in its climax. A few days ago, the White House shared an AI-generated image of Donald Trump as a confusingly musclebound Sith Lord, subtly undermining Vader as the go-to Star Wars baddie. And now a woman has been awarded almost £30,000 for being compared to him. Yesterday, it was reported that NHS blood donation worker Lorna Rooke had received £28,989.61 from a Croydon tribunal after complaining that a colleague had taken a Star Wars-themed Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test on her behalf online, and then informed her that her results aligned with Darth Vader. This upset Rooke and made her feel so unpopular that she resigned one month later. 'Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting,' agreed the judge while announcing her verdict. It seems to me that this is quite unfair on Darth Vader, and makes the assumption that he's a baddie. True, the guy was no saint, but surely you can overlook some of his iffier tendencies, many of them involving genocide, and see his good points. He's a snappy dresser, for one, and is fundamentally outcome-oriented. Although I don't know the exact quiz taken, many sites label Vader as a classic INTJ or 'architect': a private, complex introvert who prides himself on his logic and ambition. Bobby Fischer was an INTJ, it is said. So was Jane Austen. And, sure, Elon Musk and Jack the Ripper, too, but let's not dwell on the negative. It's possible to be a Darth Vader type without being completely irredeemable. There are far worse people to be compared to. I just took a Myers-Briggs test for the purposes of this article, and discovered that I am an INFJ, or an 'advocate'. You know which character from Star Wars is an INFJ? Obi-Wan Kenobi. That is an objectively far worse result than being called Darth Vader. Obi-Wan Kenobi was rubbish. He wore a crap hoodie, had the world's dullest, most low-energy lightsaber battle and then just sort of disappeared into his clothes instead of dying. Awful. Plus, other famous INFJs apparently include Adolf Hitler and the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This is so much worse than being Darth Vader and I feel horrible about it. If anyone deserves 30 grand here, it's me. Also, without wanting to undermine the sense of hurt that Rooke must have felt at this perceived bullying at the hands of her colleagues, a more pressing problem might be that, in her case, the online Star Wars-themed Myers-Briggs test may have got it wrong. It's just that I know Darth Vader. I've watched everything he's ever done. I consider myself a fan of his. And this deep understanding of the Vader psyche leads me to believe that he probably wouldn't have quit his job as supreme commander of the Imperial Fleet just because someone took a gussied-up BuzzFeed quiz on his behalf. Even if the quiz results were as bad as they could possibly be – which, in this instance, is to be compared to Darth Vader, which admittedly wouldn't be so bad if you literally were Darth Vader – it's a fair assumption that Darth Vader would have a full arsenal of healthy coping strategies to help him overcome his disappointment. Actual Darth Vader would find the person who took the quiz and choke them out from across the room in front of their peers. He would have sliced them in half on top of some sort of implausibly dangerous gantry. If things were really bad, he might have exploded their entire home planet with his Death Star. What I'm trying to say is that he had plenty of options, and Lorna Rooke took none of them. Instead, she resigned from her job and opted for the path of statutory jurisdiction. This leads me to believe that she isn't actually a Darth Vader type at all. The online Star Wars-themed Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test industry should be ashamed of itself.
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
NHS worker wins £30,000 compensation after ‘insulting and upsetting' comparison to iconic film character
AN NHS worker won almost £30,000 compensation after being likened to Star Wars villain Darth Vader. A tribunal ruled the comparison is 'insulting and upsetting', despite being told the evil Sith Lord had 'positive attributes'. 1 It came after NHS blood donation supervisor Lorna Rooke and her colleagues took a Star Wars -themed questionnaire as part of a team-bonding exercise in 2021. Mrs Rooke had to take a phone call so a colleague filled it out for her. She returned to find her personality type was deemed the same as murderous Vader, who was feared and despised throughout the galaxy. The supervisor told the hearing in Croydon, South London, it made her feel 'unpopular' and was one of the reasons she left the next month. Claims that Vader — real name Anakin Skywalker — was a 'very focused individual' who can bring a team together were rejected. Employment Judge Kathryn Ramsden said 'being aligned with his personality is insulting', and it was 'little wonder' she was upset. However the tribunal found that Mrs Rooke's decision to leave was prompted by personal circumstances. She lost claims for unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, and failure to make reasonable adjustments. But she won her case for detriment and was awarded £28,989.61.
Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
NHS worker wins £30,000 after being compared to Darth Vader
An NHS employee has been awarded almost £30,000 after being compared to Darth Vader by a colleague, an employment tribunal has ruled. The tribunal heard how Lorna Rooke, a blood donation worker, was offended after a colleague took a Star Wars-themed personality test on her behalf and told colleagues how the results showed she had a Darth Vader-type personality. 'Darth Vadar is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting,' a judge concluded, adding that it was reasonable for her to perceive the characterisation of being like the Hollywood villain as a 'detriment'. Being associated with traits of the evil overlord, known for his mask and scuba-style breathing, made Ms Rooke feel 'unpopular,' the employment tribunal in Croydon, south London, heard. 'It is little wonder that the claimant was upset by it,' the judge concluded. 'Focused individual who brings team together' The quiz taken by Ms Rooke's team was a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test with a Star Wars theme, which a colleague completed on her behalf after she temporarily left the room to take a phone call. In the online test, anyone who received a Darth Vader result was described as 'someone who was a very focused individual who brings the team together'. Although a judge found that the 'Darth Vader incident' did not cause Ms Rooke to resign from her job in 2021, she concluded that it 'was a detriment,' noting how it was not her answers that gave the Darth Vader result but rather those of her colleagues. This, she said, reflected her co-workers' 'perception of the claimant's personality and was shared in a group environment'. The tribunal heard how Ms Rooke continued to work for the respondent after the 'Darth Vader incident,' volunteering to deliver a training workshop, amending the terms of her work-provided car lease and requesting carer's leave. Ms Rooke, who worked for the NHS Blood and Transplant service from 2003 to 2021, claimed that because of her anxiety disability and low mood she was treated less favourably than she might have been after she rescinded a resignation request. The respondent said none of the people who made the decision knew about her disability. Ms Rooke won her case for detriment after a protected disclosure, partly because of the Darth Vader quiz result, but lost claims for constructive unfair dismissal, direct disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments. In total she was awarded £28,989, which included £12,000 by way of compensation for injury to feelings.
