A former HR director at the Royal Mint has won a disability discrimination claim against the coin maker.
Sarah Bradley worked for the organisation between 2009 and 2022 and had been HR director there since 2015.
She suffered from depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and made multiple attempts to resign from her role, the tribunal heard, including after a board meeting where she “exploded” and had “an emotional breakdown”.
Her chief executive Anne Jessop did not accept these resignations, recognising that Bradley was unwell.
In June 2022 Bradley resigned again and this time it was accepted, stating that she intended to pursue new opportunities and had been taking medication for her conditions.
Disability discrimination
However, she subsequently changed her mind as she was concerned about her future, and Jessop said she was unwilling to reverse the decision. The Mint had already begun looking for a replacement, the tribunal heard.
Bradley made a claim that the organisation had directly discriminated against her for taking into account her previous “threats” to resign when deciding whether the final decision should stand.
The Mint claimed that it had a “legitimate aim” of not accepting her final resignation because it wanted to avoid destabilising the senior leadership team.
But the tribunal ruled that the organisation had indirectly discriminated against Bradley because there had been a sufficient link between her disability and her unfavourable treatment.
In judgment, Judge Samantha Moore said the concerns about destabilising the senior team were “irrelevant”, and that the Mint had breached its duty to make reasonable adjustments.
It said the organisation had failed to conduct a “proper investigation” into her health issues before accepting her resignation. The Mint had made its “own observations, opinions about the contextual background and judgments of [her] behaviours at the time”, it added.
“The tribunal was unable to understand why the respondent did not pause and take some proper informed medical advice concerning the disabilities, the impact on the claimant’s behaviour and prognosis to then be in a position to truly assess whether the refusal to allow the rescindment would achieve their stated aims,” it continued.
In a press statement, a spokesperson for the Royal Mint said: “The tribunal found in favour of the Royal Mint on three of the four counts. We are carefully considering the judgment and seeking expert advice.
“The wellbeing of our employees is a top priority and we are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace for all.”
A separate hearing to decide on Bradley’s compensation will be held in due course.
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