Luxury hotel employee wins £200k after being made to work in cupboard

A luxury hotel employee has been awarded over £200,000 in compensation after being forced to complete a payroll task from within a cupboard. The case involves Roberta Ghiotto, who worked at the Hawkwell House Hotel in Iffley, Oxford, from October 2023 until her dismissal in March 2024. The ruling came from Reading Employment Tribunal, which found that she was subjected to disability discrimination and failed to receive necessary workplace adjustments. Roberta Ghiotto was hired as maternity cover at the hotel, which is managed by the Accor Group, a global hospitality company operating around 6,000 hotels worldwide. She was initially assigned to a role described as human resources, although there was no official job description. Her responsibilities included wellness-related tasks, with approximately 25 percent of her workload involving payroll management. She claimed that handling payroll was significantly more challenging due to her ADHD, which affects her ability to focus on detailed tasks. Ghiotto informed her employers about her ADHD and difficulty concentrating in a busy environment. However, a new general manager named Anuj Sagar reportedly developed a prejudice against her. He questioned her performance and extended her probation period by three months after she made errors in payroll tasks. During this time, Ghiotto requested assistance from an accountant and an additional day to complete the task, citing its stressfulness. In February 2024, Sagar instructed Ghiotto to carry out the payroll task in a separate room previously used as a cupboard. This space lacked basic amenities such as a telephone or a window, creating an isolating and uncomfortable working environment. Despite her lack of formal HR qualifications or experience, she was expected to complete the task under pressure. She expressed concerns about failing her probation period if she could not finish the task successfully. During their discussions, Ghiotto explained her challenges with focusing on detail-oriented work. However, Sagar questioned whether she had a formal diagnosis for her ADHD. She responded that she had not yet received one. Based on this information, Sagar consulted with consultants Croner and decided to terminate her employment, citing her failure to meet performance standards during her probationary period. The tribunal ruled that Ghiotto did have ADHD, even without a formal diagnosis, and that Sagar was aware of this. The judge noted that Sagar's questions about her condition suggested he was seeking justification for her dismissal. The tribunal concluded that Ghiotto was set up to fail and that the hotel failed to provide appropriate accommodations for her disability. The award includes compensation for disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable workplace adjustments, totaling £200,252. The case highlights the importance of understanding and accommodating employees' specific needs, especially those related to neurodiversity. It also underscores the potential consequences of failing to provide adequate support in the workplace. The outcome serves as a precedent for similar cases, emphasizing the need for employers to recognize and address individual challenges in the workplace.