The employment tribunal held that the claimant was fairly dismissed after making threats on Facebook to a colleague who had reported him to the employer for his frequent references to his workplace as "Dante's Inferno".
The employer in this tribunal case successfully defended a man's sex discrimination claim over the common issue of its dress and appearance code applying different rules to men and women.
The European Court of Human Rights has held that a Christian employee's right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion under art.9 of the European Convention on Human Rights was breached when the UK courts found that she was not discriminated against by British Airways' uniform policy, which prevented her from wearing visible items of jewellery at work.
This case serves as a reminder to employers of the risks that can accompany Christmas parties, although the company in this case navigated the issues admirably.
A dismissal for fighting at a Christmas party involving individuals who attempt to play down the seriousness of the incident can be fair, as this case shows.
The High Court has upheld a breach of contract claim against a housing trust that demoted a Christian manager who said on Facebook that holding civil partnership ceremonies in churches is "an equality too far".
A retailer with branches on Oxford Street and Piccadilly forced a Muslim employee who came to work wearing a headscarf to resign because it wanted to retain its "trendy" image, the employment tribunal in this case found.
The materials and information included in the XpertHR service are provided for reference purposes only. They are not intended either as a substitute for professional advice or judgment or to provide legal or other advice with respect to particular circumstances. Use of the service is subject to our terms and conditions.