A man has won an unfair dismissal case after claiming to have been bullied by his manager, who he alleged told him he had body odour. The tribunal dismissed the allegations of bullying but upheld the claim as a result of serious flaws in the employer's disciplinary procedure.
The Telegraph chose to focus on the body odour angle, and the fact that the manager accused of bullying was a woman ("Female boss told delivery driver he stank of body odour" is probably a more eye-catching headline than "Man wins unfair dismissal claim due to procedural failures"). WalesOnline gives a more balanced view of the case, pointing out that the tribunal actually rejected Mr Frowd's allegations of bullying, finding him to be an unreliable witness.
XpertHR subscribers who find themselves confronted with unpleasant odours emanating from employees can refer to our "how to" guide on dealing with an employee who has a personal hygiene issue (telling them "you stink of body odour", as Mr Frowd alleged, isn't one of the recommendations). The guide is one of the articles in our dealing with sensitive employment issues section.
Subscribers can also find plenty of guidance on disciplinary procedures and conducting fair dismissals (which was the real problem for the employer in this case) on the XpertHR site, including the following "how to" guides:
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