Tribunal | Employee wins £130,000 after manager left him out of WhatsApp group

A plumber has won £130,000 after being left out of a company WhatsApp group while taking sick leave.

Mark Brosnan, a plumber for Coalo – a facilities management firm owned by Hounslow council -claimed he was excluded from a WhatsApp group chat set up by his manager while off sick.

The group chat was reportedly used to ”communicate important safety information”. As a result, a judge has ruled that leaving Brosnan out of the group was an ‘unfavourable act’ and unjust.

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The tribunal heard that Brosnan suffered from back issues in 2019 and took 15 days of sick leave. He was then called to an occupational health assessment where it was decided that his employer would need to make safety adjustments, including lumbar support. However, these recommendations were ignored by his employer, the judge heard.