A part-time facilities consultant has been awarded nearly £25,000 after an employment tribunal ruled she was unfairly made redundant during her day off.
Joanne Neill, who worked for skin care firm Dermalogica UK, was unexpectedly informed of her redundancy via a video conference.
The tribunal found the sacking had "significantly worsened" her mental health.
It heard Neill was invited to a video conference titled "catch up" with her manager, Ian White, and another manager on one of her non-working days.
Joanna Neill was made redundant from her part-time job at skin care firm Dermalogica UK
LinkedInDuring this call, she was told that "unfortunately", she had been selected for redundancy.
Following the call, White informed other team members about her job loss.
The tribunal also found that Neill had suffered sex discrimination in being chosen for redundancy because of her part-time hours.
Employment Judge Liz Ord ruled that selecting Neill for redundancy based on her hours was a breach of the part-time workers' regulations.
This constituted indirect sex discrimination, as women are more likely to work part-time.
The decision to make her redundant was explicitly linked to how her part-time schedule would meet a required reduction in headcount.
Ord said: "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.
"Conducting the meeting via Teams exacerbated the situation as it meant there was no support from colleagues and no opportunity to ask questions of HR."
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The tribunal was held in Croydon, south London
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Neill continued working despite her mental health challenges because she was only entitled to two days' sick pay per year.
The tribunal awarded Neill a total compensation of £24,042.08 for the unfair treatment she received.
Despite the initial redundancy announcement, Neill ultimately kept her job when another employee later left the department.
The tribunal concluded Dermalogica UK was found to have breached regulations.
