Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

StressEmployee relationsEmployment tribunalsWellbeing

Stressed HR woman wins massive payout

by Michael Millar 8 Aug 2006
by Michael Millar 8 Aug 2006

An HR professional at Intel UK has been awarded more than £114,000 by the High Court after she became so stressed at work she had a nervous breakdown.

In 2000, Tracy Daw was put in charge of integrating the payroll and benefits of new employees acquired by the world’s largest computer chip maker through mergers and takeovers.

By the following year, Daw claimed the workload was so high at the company’s UK head office in Swindon she was doing the job of nearly two people. She had a nervous breakdown in June 2001 and brought a claim for negligence against Intel, saying she had received no help from the company.

Daw won the case despite Intel offering free counselling to staff who felt stressed.

Mr Justice Goldring held that “the counselling service could be of little or no help to Miss Daw. It could not reduce her workload”.

He said the demands on her were totally unreasonable and the risk of harm was clear to the company.

He awarded Daw £16,000 for the breakdown she suffered, £92,782 for loss of earnings and £5,983 interest on the damages.

“I was just so angry that the company had let me down and put me in this situation, even though I had done everything I could to flag up the problems I was having,” Daw said.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Tim Dixon, partner at law firm Lemon & Co, which represented Daw, said the case succeeded because Daw had kept notes of every e-mail and meeting where she was asking for help, proving she had too much work and bosses knew about it.

Chris Hook, a spokesman for Intel, would not comment on whether the case would lead to a review of procedures in cases of stress at the company.




Michael Millar

previous post
Employing the unemployable
next post
What can I earn as… an HR administrator in East Anglia?

You may also like

Managing risk assessments for employees who are deaf...

9 Sep 2025

Workplace health benefits need to be simplified

9 Sep 2025

Sickness absence soars to nearly two weeks per...

9 Sep 2025

Bar manager told she looked ‘very Aryan’ wins...

9 Sep 2025

Employee who shopped online at work wins unfair...

8 Sep 2025

Manager who called bosses ‘dickheads’ was unfairly dismissed

5 Sep 2025

‘Terrible’ Employment Rights Bill returns to Commons

4 Sep 2025

Connect to Work scheme to benefit 15 areas...

4 Sep 2025

Working with pesticides linked to higher risk of...

4 Sep 2025

Sandie Peggie launches fresh legal action against NHS...

3 Sep 2025

  • Workplace health benefits need to be simplified SPONSORED | Long-term sickness...Read more
  • Work smart – stay well: Avoid unnecessary pain with centred ergonomics SPONSORED | If you often notice...Read more
  • Elevate your L&D strategy at the World of Learning 2025 SPONSORED | This October...Read more
  • How to employ a global workforce from the UK (webinar) WEBINAR | With an unpredictable...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits Live
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise