An HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) boss was accused of sexism after saying she wanted to have a granddaughter so she could buy pink dresses, an employment tribunal has heard.
Rachel Gladstone demanded that her team leader Sandra Edwards keep her “overt spoilt-pink-baby-girl-princess sexism” for her private life after she made the remark in a team meeting.
Ms Gladstone, an employee in HMRC’s debt management department, said her boss’s comment was a “triggering” subject for her as she had spent time while raising her own daughter to counteract the “pink is for girls” culture.
The comments were heard at an employment tribunal after Ms Gladstone sued HMRC for unfair constructive dismissal and disability discrimination.
She resigned from HMRC after bosses launched disciplinary proceedings over comments she had made to Ms Edwards, as well as other claims about her behaviour.
The tribunal, held in Cardiff, heard that Ms Gladstone had joined HMRC’s debt management department in 2016.
She had previously specialised in statistics, working for Unilever and the Department of Health, before suffering from a number of physical and mental health conditions.
HMRC bosses found her behaviour at work “challenging”, it was heard, and in June 2022 an incident occurred during one of her team’s regular daily work group meetings (DWGMs).
Team leader Ms Edwards told the group that she was going to attend a scan with her daughter, where they would find out whether she was expecting a girl or a boy.
‘It would be nice to have a girl’
“A member of the team asked what her daughter would like, and Ms Edwards replied that, as she already had two boys, it would be nice to have a girl, commenting that it would be nice to be able to buy pink dresses for her,” the tribunal heard.Reacting, Ms Gladstone then said “sexist” under her breath and left the meeting.
A debt sollector. For the taxman. Gets triggered by pink dress talk? It’s a job that requires a rather thicker skin than that, no?
Quite right too.
The bigot should have said that she wanted the child to be Trans.
I feel triggered.
She does sound like a ratbag.
But of course I find cute little girls in pink dresses quite enchanting.
This must be a totally idyllic workplace that doesn’t have a single actual problem. What the hell is wrong with these people that something so trivial sets them off? Movie quote alert:
John Connor: We’re not gonna make it are we, people I mean.
Miserable fucking cow is miserable fucking cow. Who’d have thought it?
“ She had previously specialised in statistics, working for Unilever and the Department of Health, before suffering from a number of physical and mental health conditions.”
I’m betting there was much cheering in those organisations when she handed in her notice.
BiND: « I’m betting there was much cheering in those organisations when she handed in her notice. »
Perhaps she “didn’t hand in her notice” but was “encouraged” to move on? The Bank of England and HBOS do that kind of thing too, I believe.
There are still people called Rachel and Sandra working for government agencies?
Racism.
TMB,
Possibly, but no doubt still cheering as she walked out of the office for the last time.
“So, you’re actually complaining about a grandmother who mentioned that she’d like to dress her granddaughter in pink one time?”
Daily work group meetings (DWGM). Daily? FFS!
… previously specialised in statistics…
Whassat? Filling in numbers on a spreadsheet.
BiND – Certainly!
philip – those days on sick leave don’t just log themselves!
So it’s clear, her attitude was a “mental health condition”. Great, glad to have that finally sorted.
“So it’s clear, her attitude was a “mental health condition”. ”
Aka, gobby cow.
“suffering from a number of physical and mental health conditions”
Which means she’s a fucking skiver of the sort which infests the public sector, allowed to thrive due to management cowardice. I have a relative working for our local council and she’s suffered several of the same type. Useless and lazy, off sick the moment they come under pressure and often dishonest to boot.
They are a plague on the nation, not least because they destroy morale. Why bother working hard or indeed at all when these cunts get away with being career skivers?
Reacting, Ms Gladstone then said “sexist” under her breath, left the meeting, and shouted KERRR-CHING!!!”
FTFY.
– “There has to be a point at which we all just say Fuck Off, Honey”
Read down to the last line of the article: “her claims were dismissed by the tribunal, which concluded that she had been treated fairly.” Very poor article composition to leave that most significant fact to the end.