A whistleblower at Royal Mail, who raised concerns about the legitimacy of the process by which employees were given bonuses, was awarded more than £100,000 by the Employment Tribunal, after it ruled that her bosses had “destroyed [her] life.”
Ms K Jhuti v Royal Mail Group Ltd: 2200982/2015
Background
The Claimant, Ms Jhuti, started working for Royal Mail in London in 2013 after securing a £50,000-a-year role as a media specialist.
The Employment Tribunal heard that she had been intimidated and harassed by her manager after she had raised concerns that a colleague whom she was shadowing was not complying with Ofcom guidance and was breaching the organisation’s bonus policy. She claimed that this helped the colleague to hit performance targets which directly secured a bonus for them, and also indirectly secured a bonus for her manager.
After raising her concerns about fraud, the Claimant was treated very badly and started to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression as a consequence. She was informed by her manager that if her claims were unfounded then her employment would be under question. She then withdrew her allegations. However, her manager then informed her she was performing badly and was required to attend weekly meetings.
The Claimant was also put on a six-week performance improvement plan and was informed that if she did not comply then she would not pass her trial period.
Eventually, a doctor signed her off sick with work-related stress, depression, and anxiety. The Claimant did not return to work after this and was involved in legal proceedings with her former employer that lasted seven years. Part of these legal proceedings involved a ruling in the Supreme Court in 2019 which found that she had been unfairly dismissed.
The decision
After numerous appeals by Royal Mail, a final compensation order for £109,065, including £12,500 in aggravated damages was awarded to the Claimant. The Employment Tribunal described the Royal Mail’s conduct at the remedies hearing as “high-handed, malicious, insulting and oppressive.”
Employment Judge, Richard Baty, said:
“While as a rule, we try to avoid language which might be deemed intemperate, it is nonetheless true to say that [Royal Mail’s] treatment of the Claimanty has destroyed [her] life.”
The Judge went onto say that a conclusion of the legal claim was imperative for the Claimant to begin any sort of recovery. He added:
“If [Royal Mail] has any shred of decency in the light of the catastrophic impact on the claimant of its treatment of her, it will ensure this process is swiftly completed.”
Overall, the awarded claim was made up of:
- Personal injury (£55,000),
- Injury to feelings (£40,000) and;
- Aggravated damages (£12,500).
How can Nelsons help
Peter Nicholson is a Legal Director in our specialist Employment Law team.
For further information or advice on the subjects discussed above, please contact our employment law specialists in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online enquiry form.
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