Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • 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
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • 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
  • OHW+

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

Employees voting with feet as return-to-office pressure increases...

15 Jul 2025

Manager dismissed after covert recording with HR wins...

14 Jul 2025

Two-thirds drink to cope with work stress and...

14 Jul 2025

Ministers loosen fire and rehire proposals in Employment...

10 Jul 2025

£188k tribunal award for director sacked after cardiac...

10 Jul 2025

Court of Appeal rules that Ryanair agency pilot...

9 Jul 2025

ADHD and autism diagnosis was evidence of impact,...

9 Jul 2025

Doctors vote for return to strike action

8 Jul 2025

Employment Rights Bill set to ban employer NDAs

8 Jul 2025

Company director wins £15k after being told to...

4 Jul 2025

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

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
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
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
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • 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
  • OHW+