Mental health | Morning meeting put Amazon worker with 'debilitating' bipolar at 'substantial disadvantage'

An Amazon worker with severe anxiety and bipolar disorder was unfairly treated by being required to attend morning meetings with occupational health, a tribunal has ruled. 

The hearing held in Edinburgh found that Mr. R. Paterson, a capacity planner at Amazon UK, was at a "substantial disadvantage" because his medication affected him in the mornings, but his request to hold a meeting in the afternoon was ignored.

Paterson began working for Amazon in July 2021, where he was assigned to the Edinburgh office but continued working from home following the pandemic. The tribunal heard he did not disclose his medical conditions to the company at the time, though he had a history of social and general anxiety. 

“The impact of his symptoms vary over time: during some periods they have limited impact but at other times can be 10 entirely debilitating to the extent of panic attacks and becoming housebound,” the tribunal heard.