Barclays director loses claim after dismissal for sexual misconduct

A former Barclays director who launched a tribunal claim against the bank after it fired him for sexual harassment has lost his case.

Robert Record worked as a senior wealth manager at the company for 14 years, and was dismissed in September 2020 for gross misconduct after allegations of sexual misconduct.

He argued at the East London employment tribunal in March that female colleagues had fabricated stories of sexual misconduct. His claims of sex discrimination and unfair dismissal have now been dismissed in a unanimous judgment.

Record claimed at the March tribunal that he had seen a group of women in meetings and alleged that they had been “cooking up the charge sheet”.

“It is my belief that these women encouraged [a female former co-worker] to raise a grievance against me as part of a collective objective to remove me,” he said.

Allegations included that he had excluded a female employee from a scavenger hunt, staring at a woman’s breasts and inappropriate touching. He denied all of the allegations.

Barclays showed the court findings of a disciplinary process that included reports of “unwelcome physical contact with a female colleague” and sexual harassment.

However, Record and his legal team said witnesses who could have corroborated his concerns about women fabricating stories were not interviewed during the disciplinary process.

He added that he was unable to properly defend himself and that the dismissal was unfair and disproportionate.

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Record sought almost £600,000 in lost past and future earnings, deferred bonuses, pension benefits and injury to feelings, but all claims were rejected last week by employment judge Beyzade.

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