A tribunal has found that a female prison officer was bullied out of her job for being attractive and friendly.
Amit Kajla told Birmingham Employment Tribunal that she was bullied by colleagues at HMP Brinsford for wearing too much make-up and for waving “hello” to inmates.
She claimed she was seen as a weak woman, and as someone easily bullied.
The tribunal found Kajla was discriminated against on grounds of her age, and unfairly dismissed, but said that she was not victimised for making sex discrimination allegations.
The panel said that one prison officer in particular, Lee Hastings, created an “intimidating, degrading and hostile environment” for Kajla, and that his attitude towards her was dictated by her age and sex.
The tribunal concluded that the prison service should have done more to deal with the problem at the time of Kajla’s complaints.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
The amount of compensation due has yet to be decided, the Telegraph reported.
Would you like Personnel Today to investigate this story in more depth? E-mail [email protected] with suggestions.
