'Minefield for businesses' | How a black Christmas tree and a hamper row led to employment tribunals

Workplace Christmas parties continue to fuel trouble for businesses, with one employee from the Caribbean taking her employer to an employment tribunal after a colleague made a snarky comment about a black Christmas tree, reveals analysis of court records by HR consultants Hamilton Nash.

The employee – a health partner based in Inverness – overheard three staff members discussing the purchase of a Christmas tree from Argos when one reacted to a black tree by calling it ugly and saying, “Yuck!” She told the tribunal that the conversation was directed at her and the language was racially motivated.

She was a member of an American-based church who wore a headscarf and called herself a “daughter of Sarah”, and she did not celebrate Christmas. But she felt pressured by colleagues to attend a Christmas party.

The tribunal awarded her £7,500 for injury to feelings, but did not find in favour of her claims of religious or race discrimination.