Real examples
Detailed case studies of real employment tribunal cases, and first-hand stories from people who were treated unfairly at work.
Content / trigger warning
The contents of these pages focus on sensitive topics. These cases might be emotionally challenging to read, especially if you’re going through something similar. Each case study or story may also have its own, more specific content warnings.
Tribunal case studies
We dig into the details of real employment tribunal cases, what the outcomes were, and the reasons they succeeded or failed.
Esme's direct marriage and civil partnership discrimination
After a breakdown of Esme's marriage, she found herself being pushed out of the business where she and her ex-husband worked.
Gianna's direct religion or belief discrimination case
Gianna was employed at a conservative Jewish nursery for years. She was dismissed after her employer found out she was cohabiting with her boyfriend. Learn if this was legal.
Emilia's direct sexual orientation discrimination claim
Emilia had been forced to hide her sexuality at work after being told the owner was "old school". She took her employer to Tribunal after being made redundant.
Victoria's direct gender reassignment discrimination
Victoria faced a toxic workplace that constantly harassed her about her gender reassignment with disparaging comments. Find out how she fared in her Tribunal case against them.
Security guards' indirect race discrimination claim
A group of outsourced security guards weren't paid the same as their in-house colleagues. Learn how this policy was indirectly discriminatory towards non-white workers.
Yasmin's direct pregnancy and maternity discrimination claim
Yasmin faced a lot of negative comments and behaviours at work after telling her employer she was pregnant. When she was dismissed, she fought back at Tribunal.
Patrizia's indirect age discrimination case
A 64-year-old woman was dismissed from her job and found her employer advertising for new staff aged 18-25. She went to Tribunal for age discrimination.
Charlotte's direct sex discrimination case
Charlotte faced direct sex discrimination at her place of work when she refused to wear a "skimpy" uniform. Find out how her Tribunal case went.
Harold's direct disability discrimination case
Harold had been dismissed from his job after his employer failed to make reasonable adjustments at work. Learn how his Tribunal case went.
Two real cases of indirect sex discrimination at work and how things turned out
Sex discrimination can be quite subtle. Here are a few examples of indirect sex discrimination claims brought to Employment Tribunals in the past.
Two real examples of racism at work and what happened next
Take a look at two real examples of direct race discrimination claims in the UK. We explore which arguments were successful, which failed, and why.
Five examples of workplace behaviour that’s not okay
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect at work. If you're worried about how you're being treated, here are 5 examples of bad workplace behaviour.
Two real cases of dress code discrimination and how they won their cases
Dress codes can unintentionally discriminate employees based on a protected characteristic. Here are a few examples of dress code discrimination at work.
Two real examples of direct age discrimination and what happened next
Take a look at few examples of direct age discrimination that have been brought to a Tribunal, and why the claims failed or succeeded.
Three real examples of workplace whistleblowing and what happened next
Not sure if you've been fired due to whistleblowing? We look at 3 whistleblowing examples brought to the Employment Tribunal to help you understand.
Two real examples of subtle disability discrimination at work and what happened next
Disability discrimination is not always direct and obvious. Take a look at some successful subtle disability discrimination claims.
Real stories
People like you who've been treated unfairly at work tell their stories in their own words.
Lisa Murray: I was made redundant in an unfair process
A part-time administrative worker was made redundant after Covid-19 hit. Lisa represented herself at Tribunal and won a unanimous decision for unfair dismissal.
My employer didn’t follow their policy on workplace harassment
I was being bullied by another staff member. I thought my workplace would protect me. Instead, they punished me for speaking out.
I was bullied for over a year due to a mistake
I made a simple mistake at work, and was made to sit through sham disciplinary meetings and bullied for over a year because of it.
My boss stole my ideas, and I wasn’t the only one
I had a line manager that had issues with women. He would block a lot of my ideas and take my work to present it as his. He had done it to others too.
My boss said I didn't qualify for redundancy because of a career break
I was made redundant at work. I knew the company had been struggling so I wasn't shocked. What shocked me was I wasn't offered an alternative.
My manager bullied me until I quit
In the beginning of my new job, my manager was really controlling, but I thought this must just be how things work in the UK. I was wrong.
My department head didn't even bother learning my name
I didn't realise what a boy's club my old company was until I found out that the Head of IT didn't care to learn my name and I was a senior team member.
I nearly came out as trans at work, then heard awful transgender slurs
My managers saw me as 'on their side'. They would insult my coworkers behind their backs and call customers sexist and racist names in front of me.
I found out I was being underpaid and nobody cared
I told my boss I was getting paid less than my colleague. He said that I could never get paid the same as my male colleague because of company policy.
Do you have a story like this?
Show people being treated unfairly at work that they're not alone, and what others did in similar situations.
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