Finance worker wasn’t able to enjoy motherhood after discrimination from boss

A finance worker who won a £15,000 payout after her male boss remarked she ‘must have been having some fun lately’ because she was pregnant has claimed his treatment of her spoiled her experience of becoming a mother.

Single mother Bianca King, 31, from Kettering, Northamptonshire. said: ‘I didn’t do anything wrong, all I did was have a baby,’ following the discriminatory behaviour of company director George Dodds at Mortgage Compare.

‘This was my first child and I wasn’t able to enjoy her and that time like I should have. After she was born I had to take medication because of the stress and anxiety.’ 

An employment tribunal this week heard Mr Dodds initially ignored Miss King after she told him she was expecting before making the inappropriate comment alluding to her sex life.

He then informed her that she was being sacked before withdrawing the dismissal when she told him she would be taking maternity leave, an employment tribunal heard.

Mr Dodds' treatment of her left 31-year-old Miss King (pictured) stressed before the birth of her first child, Winter Ivy, and she had to see her GP about her mounting anxiety

Bianca King with her daughter Winter Ivy. Bianca has won a £15,000 payout after receiving discrimination from her male boss when becoming pregnant 

Over the following months he started shouting at the mortgage administrator, once reducing her to tears after criticising her in front of colleagues on a video conference call.

Mr Dodds’ treatment of her left 31-year-old Miss King stressed before the birth of her first child, Winter Ivy, and she had to see her GP about her mounting anxiety.

The tribunal ruled the single mother was the victim of pregnancy discrimination and awarded her £15,009.84 in compensation.

Speaking after the hearing, Bianca – whose daughter Winter Ivy, was born in March 2019 and is now three-years-old – said the only thing she did to receive this treatment was have a baby.

George Dodds, director of Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare, subjected Ms King to 'unfavourable treatment' a tribunal heard

George Dodds, director of Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare, subjected Ms King to ‘unfavourable treatment’ a tribunal heard

The hearing, held in Cambridge, was told Miss King (pictured with her daughter Winter Ivy) worked as a processing clerk for Mr Dodd's Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare from September 2016. In October 2018 she sent an e-mail to Mr Dodds, telling him she was pregnant and her baby was expected early March 2019. Mr Dodds did not acknowledge the email

The hearing, held in Cambridge, was told Miss King (pictured with her daughter Winter Ivy) worked as a processing clerk for Mr Dodd’s Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare from September 2016. In October 2018 she sent an e-mail to Mr Dodds, telling him she was pregnant and her baby was expected early March 2019. Mr Dodds did not acknowledge the email

She said: ‘I first emailed I was pregnant just before the weekend but when I went back to work on the Monday I was completely ignored. It wasn’t acknowledged, I wasn’t congratulated or anything.

‘I requested some holiday and that too wasn’t acknowledged, I was just getting ignored.

‘Eventually George had to acknowledge it because I was getting him business and he changed his tune then.

‘He did congratulate me but then he said: “You must have been having some fun lately” and I thought, “that’s inappropriate”.

‘The most embarrassing bit was when I was told I wasn’t allowed on the company computers in front of everyone, like I was made to feel like I had done something wrong like I was moving to a rival business or something… I was just leaving to have my baby.

‘He started accusing me of stealing company data or changing passwords, all these things I hadn’t done, and that was my last day there before I went on maternity leave.

‘Other people said how awkward and uncomfortable they felt for me and I was sat there at a desk not allowed to touch anything for hours while heavily pregnant.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong, all I did was have a baby.

‘There was no way I could ever go back afterwards, not after how he treated me.

‘This was my first pregnancy and I spent the whole time chasing up to get my maternity pay from him. The stress was unbelievable on top of having a newborn child and then the employment tribunal.

‘He says he’s going to appeal it but I don’t see how because everything is in writing. I represented myself even though they said I should get a lawyer because i knew I was right and I knew I was going to win.

‘All I would say is, to any other women going through this, is to make sure you write everything down or put it in an email at the time because that’s how I was able to prove everything.’

The hearing, held in Cambridge, was told Miss King worked as a processing clerk for Mr Dodd’s Northampton-based firm Mortgage Compare from September 2016.

In October 2018 she sent an e-mail to Mr Dodds, telling him she was pregnant and her baby was expected early March 2019. Mr Dodds did not acknowledge the email.

About a week later Miss King requested some holiday leave. Mr Dodds granted this over the phone and acknowledged her pregnancy for the first time, saying to her she ‘must have been having some fun lately’.

The tribunal heard Mr Dodds requested a meeting with Miss King at the office in December 2018, at which he gave her a letter stating she was to be ‘laid off with immediate effect’.

Mr Dodds told her the company was having some financial difficulties and could not continue ‘to keep her’. No other employee was given such information.

He then took the letter back when she said she would be going on maternity leave in four months, saying ‘that changes everything. I did not know it was so soon’, the tribunal heard.

The tribunal heard when Miss King returned to work at the end of January 2019 her computer was shut down, she was denied access to all systems and told she was 'not required to work'

The tribunal heard when Miss King returned to work at the end of January 2019 her computer was shut down, she was denied access to all systems and told she was ‘not required to work’

Employment Judge Martin Bloom said: ‘It is evident…that the threat of laying off [Miss King] was only made to her as a result of her notification… that she was pregnant.’

In December 2018 Miss King sent an email to Mr Dodds making reference to the letter and her belief she was ‘being discriminated against’ due to her pregnancy status.

The tribunal heard Mr Dodds then started criticising Miss King.

He emailed her about her lunch hours, telling her to ‘please ensure you leave on time and return by 2pm’ despite her timekeeping never having been an issue before.

The tribunal heard he accused her of not sending emails and shouted at her on various occasions.

Judge Bloom noted: ‘This form of behaviour directed to [Miss King] by Mr Dodds had not been in evidence prior to [her] pregnancy. On one such occasion [she] was so upset she had to leave a group video call and went to the toilet in tears.’

In January 2019, Miss King met with Mr Dodds to discuss her request to take her 2019 holiday entitlement before she went on maternity leave. Mr Dodds agreed but referred to her request as ‘cheeky’.

Judge Bloom said: ‘That was, we consider, an inappropriate comment and was aggravated by the fact that it was [her] last day at work before she took the period of holiday and subsequently went on maternity leave.’

The tribunal heard when Miss King returned to work at the end of January 2019 her computer was shut down, she was denied access to all systems and told she was ‘not required to work’.

She was required to sit around for several hours before being allowed to go home.

In February 2019 Miss King tried to contact Mr Dodds about non-payment of her maternity pay but her requests ‘were largely ignored’.

In April 2019 Mr Dodds told Miss King all employees would be converted to ‘self-employed status’.

The tribunal heard she emailed Mr Dodds asking for more information only to receive a reply which stated: ‘This doesn’t surprise me. You have been looking for a way to accuse us of this (the termination of her employment) for months.’

Miss King never returned to work for Mr Dodds, the tribunal heard.

Judge Bloom said: ‘These acts of unfavourable treatment were carried out by [Mr Dodds] because [Miss King] had advised them that she was pregnant and due to take and subsequently did take maternity leave.

‘No lawful or indeed any plausible alternative exists for that treatment.

‘We have taken note of the fact that [Miss King] was extremely distressed by the events.

‘Her pregnancy was her first pregnancy and she had been very much looking forward to the birth of her child. She was undoubtedly not only upset by the events but became stressed.

‘Eventually she had to see her General Practitioner and was prescribed medication for anxiety and stress.

‘At a time when she ought to have been looking forward to the birth of her child she had to deal with the events… and a subsequent deterioration in her health.’

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