Latest news with #employmentTribunal
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Currys worker's fury over missing office mug ‘out of proportion', judge rules
The colleagues of a man who became 'very upset' about his office mug going missing likely felt his response was 'out of proportion', an employment tribunal has found. A judge ruled that Adeel Habib probably gave his colleagues 'reason to believe that he viewed the loss of the mug as stealing' and that this is 'likely to have caused some resentment towards him'. The ruling came in a case brought by Mr Habib against Currys, where he was employed between January and March 2023 as a credit support associate at their office in Poole, Dorset. Mr Habib accused his former colleagues of 'cold-shouldering' him following the dispute over his mug, which he claimed amounted to racial discrimination. But his claim was dismissed after a hearing in Southampton, with Judge David Hughes saying that Mr Habib was 'probably very upset' about his mug and noting that 'he can language that is apt to strike others as confrontational, even if he does not intend to be'. The judge said: 'We find that he probably did give his colleagues reason to believe that he viewed the loss of the mug as stealing. We find that this is likely to have caused some resentment towards him.' He added: 'Sad though it is to have to say this, it seems to us to be likely that Mr Habib is, unfortunately, ill-equipped to cope with the nuances of social interaction in the workplace, and lacks the sort of social skills that might have eased tensions that arose around the mug incident.' Mr Habib also alleged that he had been racially discriminated against in his manager's decision to deny him five weeks' of holiday leave to attend weddings in Pakistan, in a request lodged a month after joining the company. But this was rejected by the tribunal, with the judge finding that 'Mr Habib was denied his requested holiday leave on a reasonable application of Currys' policy and practice'. A further claim, that he was sexually harassed by a married colleague who left a bottle of Juice Burst on his desk, which Mr Habib considered to have 'a sexual connotation', was also rejected. However, Mr Habib was awarded three weeks' additional notice pay, with the tribunal rejecting further claims for arrears of pay and bonus payments.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Health board blasted by information chiefs over refusal to disclose cost of trans row tribunal
A health board has been condemned by Scotland's information tsar for refusing to release details of costs associated with a high-profile employment tribunal over access to single-sex spaces. The Scottish Information Commissioner David Hamilton ruled that NHS Fife failed to comply with the law when it rejected requests for costs of the tribunal brought by nurse Sandie Peggie. He ordered it to carry out a further review of whether it can provide the information and issue a new response to the applicant by July 14. The tribunal related to NHS Fife accusing Ms Peggie of misconduct after she raised concerns about the presence of transgender doctor Beth Upton in a female changing room at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy. In its response to the requests for costs, NHS Fife stated that it had 'no indication of costs' when the information was requested in February. But Mr Hamilton's report said that NHS Fife had only approached the Central Legal Office (CLO), which provides legal advice to NHS Scotland, for the costs, and should have undertaken 'adequate and proportionate searches' itself to find out what information it had relevant to the request. The report said: 'The Authority does not appear to have undertaken any searches in response to the Applicants' requests. Instead, it chose to request this information from CLO. 'It may be the case that CLO held the most complete or up-to-date costs, but the Commissioner cannot, based on the submissions he has received, be satisfied that the Authority did not hold any information falling within the scope of the requests at the date it received them. 'Even allowing for whatever relevant arrangements it may have with the CLO, he cannot accept the Authority reaching a conclusion on what it holds, in the circumstances, wholly without recourse to its own records. 'The Commissioner is frustrated - a feeling no doubt shared by the Applicants - that the Authority's poor handling of these requests has placed him in a position where he is effectively limited to requiring it to carry out adequate, proportionate searches for the information requested, reach a decision on the basis of those searches, and notify the Applicants of the outcome. This unnecessary delay hampers the applicants with their information rights, and reflects poorly on the Authority.' In its decision note, the report said the Commissioner 'finds that the Authority failed to comply with part one of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002' as it 'failed to satisfy the Commissioner that it does not hold any information relevant to the Applicants' requests'. It went on: 'The Commissioner therefore requires the Authority to carry out adequate, proportionate searches for the information, reach a decision on the basis of those searches and notify the Applicants (separately) of the outcome (all in terms of section 21 of FOISA), by Monday 14 July 2025.' If NHS Fife fails to comply with the decision, the issue could be referred to the Court of Session. Scottish Conservative equalities spokesman Tess White said: 'This is proof that a cynical culture of secrecy has taken hold at NHS Fife. 'Senior staff at the health board are clearly trying to hide the true costs incurred in defending the SNP's unlawful gender policy. This is taxpayers' money that could have gone to the NHS frontline. 'NHS Fife are taking the lead from an SNP government that's allergic to transparency. They know they are on the wrong side of this argument. 'The information commissioner has said he's frustrated by the health board's handling of the requests - and so are the public. The onus is on John Swinney to instruct public bodies to be transparent and provide single-sex spaces for women in line with the law.' A spokesman for NHS Fife said: 'NHS Fife notes the report from the Scottish Information Commissioner and intends to comply fully with its decision notice.'
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Implying your office colleagues have stolen your work mug when it goes missing will probably come across as 'out of proportion', tribunal rules as worker loses race discrimination case
A Currys employee lost a race discrimination case, after an employment tribunal ruled it would probably have seemed to colleagues 'out of proportion' to infer your co-workers stole your missing mug. Adeel Habib began working as a credit support associate for the electrical giant at an office in Poole, Dorset in January 2023, but he only stayed at the company for under four months. He claimed he was discriminated against when colleagues 'cold shouldered' him after he got 'greatly upset' by someone else taking his cup in March, a hearing in Southampton was told. A co-worker explained that if Mr Habib had left the mug in the kitchen then someone else had probably used it as those cups were seen as communal. After this, she then offered to go around the office with Mr Habib and ask colleagues if they had seen the mug. The support associate said that after this incident he was 'cold shouldered' by his colleagues and claimed at the tribunal that this amounted to race discrimination. The employment tribunal heard his reaction - in which he implied fellow staff were guilty of theft - seemed 'out of proportion'. His race claim against the electrical retail giant was dismissed with the panel finding any 'resentment' towards him was caused by his 'confrontational' attitude to the mug going missing. Employment Judge David Hughes said Mr Habib likely 'caused some resentment' towards him by coming across as 'confrontational' in his search for the mug, implying that it had been stolen. However, he added that it had nothing to do with his race. He added that the associate was 'ill-equipped' to manage the nuances of social interaction in the workplace which could have 'eased tensions'. 'We find that Mr Habib was probably very upset about his mug,' the judge said: 'Just how upset he was probably seemed to his colleagues to be out of proportion to the loss of a mug. 'Mr Habib can use language that is apt to strike others as confrontational, even if he does not intend to be. 'We find that he probably did give his colleagues reason to believe that he viewed the loss of the mug as stealing. 'We find that this is likely to have caused some resentment towards him. 'Sad though it is to have to say this, it seems to us to be likely that Mr Habib is, unfortunately, ill-equipped to cope with the nuances of social interaction in the workplace, and lacks the sort of social skills that might have eased tensions that arose around the mug incident.' Mr Habib also tried to claim that his manager denying him five weeks annual leave to go back to Pakistan for a series of weddings, which he requested just a month into his employment, was race discrimination. The tribunal found that the rejection of his holiday request was not race discrimination and was merely his manager following Currys' standard policy. As well as the race discrimination claims, Mr Habib alleged that during his time at Currys he had been sexually harassed by a female co-worker. However, his allegations were dismissed as 'simply incredible'. At the end of March, Mr Habib was dismissed by Currys and was not given an opportunity to appeal. His unfair dismissal claim was struck out because Mr Habib had not been employed long enough to make that claim. However, he was awarded three weeks' notice pay because there was no mention of a probation period in his notice and therefore he was entitled to one month's notice not one week.
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Getting upset by a work mug going missing is ‘out of proportion'
Getting upset at your work mug going missing is 'out of proportion' and likely to cause colleagues to feel 'resentment' towards you, an employment tribunal has ruled. A judge has decided that implying that a missing cup has been stolen could be seen as 'confrontational'. The tribunal weighed in on the office politics surrounding work mugs in the case of a Currys worker who sued for racism after his went missing. Adeel Habib claimed he was discriminated against when colleagues 'cold-shouldered' him after he got 'greatly upset' by someone else taking his cup. The employment tribunal heard his reaction – in which he implied fellow staff were guilty of theft – seemed 'out of proportion'. His racism claim against the electrical retail giant was dismissed with the panel finding any 'resentment' towards him was caused by his 'confrontational' attitude to the mug going missing. 'Ill-equipped' to handle The hearing, held in Southampton, Hampshire, was told Mr Habib began working for Currys as a credit support associate in January 2023 at their office in Poole, Dorset, but he lasted under four months on the job. A co-worker explained to a 'greatly upset' Mr Habib that if he had left the mug in the kitchen then someone else had probably used it as those cups were seen as communal. She then offered to go around the office with Mr Habib and ask colleagues if they had seen the mug. The associate – who is of Pakistani background – said that after this incident he was 'cold-shouldered' by his colleagues and claimed at the tribunal that this amounted to racial discrimination. Employment Judge David Hughes said Mr Habib probably 'caused some resentment' because of his 'confrontational behaviour' in the search for the mug, adding it had nothing to do with his race. He said the associate was 'ill-equipped' to manage the nuances of social interaction in the workplace which could have 'eased tensions'. 'Probably very upset' Judge Hughes said: 'We find that Mr Habib was probably very upset about his mug. Just how upset he was probably seemed to his colleagues to be out of proportion to the loss of a mug.' He ruled that Mr Habib probably gave his co-workers reason to believe 'he viewed the loss of the mug as stealing', causing resentment. 'Sad though it is to have to say this, it seems to us to be likely that Mr Habib is, unfortunately, ill-equipped to cope with the nuances of social interaction in the workplace, and lacks the sort of social skills that might have eased tensions that arose around the mug incident,' he added. Mr Habib also tried to claim that his manager denying him five weeks annual leave to go back to Pakistan for a series of weddings, which he requested just a month into his employment, was racial discrimination. The tribunal found that the rejection of his holiday request was not discrimination but merely his manager following Currys' standard policy.
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Survey reveals employees' top peeves at work
Slacking colleagues top the list of people's workplace frustrations, according to new research from Acas. A survey of 1,000 workers by the conciliation service revealed that half of those polled cited colleagues not doing their jobs properly as their biggest work-related annoyance. Other grievances included colleagues taking credit for others' work, overbearing bosses, and rude customers or staff. 'Anger over a lack of recognition, rudeness, their boss or a colleague seen as not pulling their weight can impact productivity and escalate to conflict if left unresolved at work,' Acas head of individual dispute resolution Stewart Gee said. 'Unresolved emotions over things that seem unfair can have a detrimental effect at work and it is important for workplace conflict to be addressed at the earliest possible opportunity. 'Acas's aim is to prevent, manage or resolve conflict. An informal resolution through an initial chat or mediation can help organisations prevent the cost and stress of more formal procedures such as an employment tribunal.' Acas recommended that employers encourage staff to raise issues informally, adding that dealing with conflict positively and quickly can build trust and improve relationships. 'Conflict at work is estimated to cost UK organisations £30 billion each year and getting the basics right plays a key part in helping to reduce it,' Mr Gee said. 'Workers can also help. Speaking to a manager early is almost always better than waiting for it to become a larger issue that requires a more formal response. 'This might also avoid costly discipline and grievance procedures.' 'Working hard brought its own reward' In January, Conservative shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Britons must increase their work ethic in order to compete on a global scale. Mr Philp claimed that while working at Sainsbury's, delivering newspapers, and cleaning people's vehicles in his early teens, he cultivated a strong work ethic. "I found that working hard brought its own reward and I've kept doing that ever since,' he said. "It is something I would like to infuse more into our national culture as well." Asked if he thought a belief in hard work was something that was missing in Britain, he replied, "I do a bit." The latest figures show Britain's jobless rate rose unexpectedly and the number of workers on payrolls has fallen by the most since the height of the pandemic.
