EE call centre chief wins tribunal

A contact centre manager has won her legal battle with mobile phone giant EE – and a five-figure pay-out – after a judge ruled she was unfairly sacked over a bullying incident at the company’s Darlington offices.
Teesside contact centre manager Fay Hand took the action after claiming she was made a scapegoat when one member of staff was knocked unconscious at his desk last October.
Seven employees were sacked as a result of the incident – including the man who kicked his colleague, the victim and their team leader – which exposed a catalogue of bulying at the firm.
Employment tribunal judge Gerald Johnson found that EE bosses had conducted a “wholly inadequate” investigation into Hand’s actions before the assault. He also also found that EE staff involved in her disciplinary case had embellished and exaggerated their evidence to the hearing.
Johnson added that the confusion shown by one EE boss in the witness box highlighted the “haphazard and unreasonable” approach taken by the company when dealing with Hand. He said: “The tribunal found that the decision to dismiss the claimant was itself outside the range of reasonable responses, taking into account the claimant’s age, length of service and previous unblemished record.”
Hand, who had worked for EE and Orange for 17 years, said: “I absolutely loved that job – it meant the world to me and I was devastated when I was dismissed. I hope that EE now reflects on this ruling and realises that it needs to improve the way it supports staff, and ensures its processes and polices are followed correctly and fairly.”