Female employee originally claimed £1.3 million
Barclays has been ordered to pay £49,728 in compensation to a former employee following a tribunal’s ruling that the bank failed to support her adequately and engaged in “thoughtless” behaviour. The case, brought by ex-employee Anca Lacatus, highlighted what the court saw as failings in workplace practices and gender discrimination at the giant mortgage lender.
The tribunal awarded Lacatus damages primarily for personal injury and the bank’s failure to adjust her workload to accommodate her illness. Although she initially sought £1.3 million, the judges declined to grant compensation for loss of earnings, concluding that her physical and mental health issues would have occurred regardless of Barclays’ misconduct. The bank had suggested the case was worth just £16,000.
“Barclays actions were thoughtless,” remarked Judge John Crosfill, as he delivered the decision, which was made public this week. “The claimant was let down for over a year. We have not awarded the claimant much of what she sought. We must make findings and apply the law. That does not mean that we do not have the greatest sympathy for the claimant.”
A spokesperson for Barclays declined to comment on the tribunal’s findings, while Lacatus’ legal representatives also remained silent.
Claims of discrimination at Barclays
Lacatus, who began working at Barclays in 2016, brought forward allegations of discrimination and poor treatment during her time in the bank’s rates options structured trading middle office department. She claimed her manager used the term “birds” to describe women, a phrase the tribunal found to be “plainly sexist.”
“We accept that when this [referring to women as birds] was pointed out to [her manager], he ultimately got the message and stopped trying to be funny. We find that it is likely that it took some time before Ms Lacatus was sufficiently blunt that the message hit home.
“The language is plainly sexist (whether misplaced irony or not).”
In addition, the bank was found to have failed to make reasonable adjustments to her working hours, despite her request for reduced duties to manage the symptoms of endometriosis.
The tribunal noted that Barclays’ failure to act contributed to a deterioration in her physical and mental health. Judge Crosfill remarked that this treatment left her “to a point where she had lost all hope of renewing her career in financial services.”
Redundancy and future prospects
Lacatus’ role at Barclays ended in 2020 after her position was made redundant while she was on sick leave. Although the tribunal acknowledged the challenges she faced, it stopped short of agreeing with her assertion that her career prospects were permanently damaged.
“We are not as pessimistic as the claimant was about her future prospects,” Judge Crosfill stated. “We would hope that one day soon the claimant will be able to resume a career that she worked so hard to forge.”
