'Fatherly gesture' | HR advisor's harassment claim over boss's 'hand on shoulder' dismissed

An HR advisor who alleged that her line manager’s gestures and comments amounted to sex discrimination and harassment has had her claims dismissed.

An employment tribunal ruled that Ms Y Rankmore’s claims against Cardiff Council were brought significantly out of time and, even if they had been lodged within the statutory period, they would have failed.

Allegations of physical contact

Ms Rankmore, who worked as a People Services Advisor in the council’s First Point of Contact (FPOC) HR team, said that between October 2023 and February 2024 her manager, Jason Carlson, would “put his arms around her and rub her back” when she asked him questions.

In her oral evidence, however, she accepted that her written description was inaccurate. She clarified that on two or three occasions Mr Carlson had placed “an arm on her shoulder” in what she described as “a fatherly type gesture”. She told the tribunal that she did not consider the actions sexual, but felt they were inappropriate in the workplace.