A former NatWest employee who advertised sex work online has won a case for unfair dismissal after flaws were revealed in the disciplinary process.
Karim Ahmed ran a website called Agile Love, linked to a separate site featuring explicit pictures of himself and selling £25 sensual massages while still working for the bank, where he was employed as an analyst.
His manager confronted him over the site, claiming it could damage the bank’s reputation. In response, Ahmed accused his boss of cyberstalking.
He was eventually dismissed after repeated fall-outs with managers over his continued work with the site, alongside concerns about his behaviour at work.
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The tribunal heard he had referred to one manager as a “big baby” after an argument and that he had left a female colleague “cowering” due to his disruptive behaviour, which he deemed showed she had an insecure personality.
An occupational health report had shown that Ahmed had been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder, which could lead to him showing extremes of mood. He was however deemed fit for work with some adjustments made to avoid serious triggers of the condition.
His managers noticed that he would sometimes leave the office without explanation, and there were also complaints he had been living in a campervan in a nearby car park, although the tribunal found no evidence to support this.
In February 2020 he was invited to a meeting to discuss concerns about his behaviour, at which he responded “no comment” to every question and behaved aggressively. He was placed under suspension following the meeting, later raising a grievance in dispute of his treatment.
In May 2020, NatWest held a disciplinary meeting with Ahmed to discuss allegations about Agile Love, which it was revealed was linked to a third business called Skin Map that offered sensual massages. Ahmed’s LinkedIn profile was linked to the Skin Map website, and the bank felt this could lead to reputational issues. At the meeting, his manager was told Ahmed would “take him apart”, which was taken as a threat of physical violence.
After a series of further meetings and allegations about his behaviour, he was sent a dismissal letter in October 2020.
Ahmed made claims of direct sex discrimination (dismissed for being out of time), unfair dismissal, direct disability discrimination and discrimination arising from disability.
The judgment revealed that the claim for unfair dismissal was upheld due to flaws in the disciplinary process, including the fact the bank had not met with him to discuss the reasons for his dismissal. Ahmed had also not been given the opportunity to appeal the decision.
He was not granted any compensation, however, as the judge ruled that he would have been fairly dismissed had the rules been properly followed.
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