UK Woman Wins Rs 28 Lakh In Compensation After Company Fired Her On Day Off

A UK woman has been awarded almost Rs 28 lakh (25,000 pounds) in compensation after she was fired on her day off by her employers. The employment tribunal hearing the case declared that Joanne Neil, who worked for Dermalogica UK, should not have been made redundant in the manner the skincare firm did, as she was denied labour rights.

The tribunal in Croydon, South London, found the sacking had "significantly worsened" Ms Neil's mental health, with which she had already been struggling, according to a report in The Telegraph. She received the news of her sacking through a Microsoft Teams meeting where she wasn't given any opportunity to ask questions to the HR about the entire process.

"The short notice period she was given of the meeting and the misleading title of the invite 'catch up', meant she was unprepared and blindsided," said Judge Liz Ord.

The meeting took place on Ms Neil's non-working day with her manager, Ian White and another executive on the call. She was told that she had "unfortunately" been selected to receive the sack.

"The announcement plunged her into a state of shock and despair, significantly setting back her state of mental health."

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Sex discrimination

The court documents revealed that Ms Neill was identified for redundancy in November 2022. She had begun to struggle with her mental health in January 2022, but was not allowed to work her two days a week from home.

Struggling to cope, Ms Neil often broke down in front of her colleagues but could not take an off as she was only entitled to two days' sick pay per year.

The employment tribunal noted that Ms Neil's firing was indirect sex discrimination as she was selected for redundancy on the basis of her hours, which was a breach of the part-time workers' regulations since women were more likely to work part-time.

Notably, Ms Neill got to keep her job after another employee left the department.