£14k payout | Employee sacked for online shopping during work wins unfair dismissal case

An office administrator has been awarded more than £14,000 after a tribunal ruled she was unfairly dismissed for using her work computer to shop online and browse property listings.

Miss A Lanuszka was sacked by Accountancy MK Services in July 2023 after spyware installed on her computer recorded time spent on websites including Amazon, Very and Rightmove.

Her dismissal letter stated: “In July 2023 it came to our attention that you were engaged in private business activities during your working hours, which is a direct violation of our company’s code of conduct.”

The company claimed it had “conducted a thorough investigation” into the matter. But the tribunal found no disciplinary process had taken place, concluding that the letter was “pre-prepared and handed over to Ms Lanuszka on 31 July 2023.”