Woman gets sacked for wearing sports shoes at work, wins Rs 32 lakh compensation

A 20-year-old woman has been awarded £30,000 (about Rs 32.2 lakh) in compensation after she was fired from her job at a recruitment agency for wearing trainers to work.Elizabeth Benas, who started her job at Maximus UK Services in 2022 aged 18, claimed she was unfairly singled out for her choice of shoes, even though other colleagues wore were similar shoes without consequence.

Benassi’s case was heard at an employment tribunal in Croydon, south London, which ruled in his favour. The tribunal concluded that the company had a “desire to find fault” with the young employee and failed to adequately communicate its dress code policy.

After only three months on the job, Benassi claimed she was unfairly targeted and treated “like a child” by her manager, who criticized her choice of trainers. with excessive attention to detail and “micro-management”.

Labor Judge Forwell observed that Benassi was unfairly confronted with his shoes when he arrived at the office. “No consideration was given to the fact that he was new and may not have been familiar with the dress code,” the judge said. : “Therefore, it was an obvious injustice and shows a desire to find fault.”

The tribunal also rejected the agency’s claim that Benassi had been informed of the dress code, with Judge Forwell pointing out that if such information had been provided, it would likely have been mentioned in the email exchange at the time.

Maximus UK Services, the Department for Work and Pensions’ collection agency, denied any wrongdoing in the case, but the tribunal found the company guilty of victimization and awarded Benassi £29,187 in compensation.

While the tribunal ruled in favor of Benassi’s victimization claim, it dismissed her additional allegation of age-related harassment.

The case has sparked widespread debate about how young workers are treated in the workplace and the potential for age discrimination.