Costly conflict | How a breakdown between a worker and her boss ended with a £250k payout

A worker has been awarded a quarter of a million pounds after a row with her boss over a PTO request caused their relationship to crumble.

HMRC worker Elaine Worsley fell out with boss Linda Marrison after she rejected her request to take four days off over the Christmas and New Year period so she could go on holiday, an employment tribunal in Manchester was told.

This ignited a chain of events which caused the relationship between Worsley and Marrison - which had once been strong - to fall apart, eventually resulting in Worsley going on sick leave with anxiety. Worsley even reported feeling “suicidal” as a result of Marrison’s actions, before she was sacked due to her lengthy absence.

The employment panel heard how Worsley felt it unfair that her request for time off was turned down, as she “never” took time off in summer and was “owed a substantial amount of holiday”.