A nurse has been awarded £25,254 after a tribunal found she faced bullying when a colleague repeatedly rolled their eyes at her.
The tribunal concluded that Maureen Howieson endured behaviour described as “rude, isolating, bullying, and belittling” from her co-worker, Jisna Iqbal.
The 64-year-old left her post after the relationship with her colleague became increasingly strained at Great Junction Dental Practice in Edinburgh.
Ms Howieson had worked in dentistry for more than 40 years, mainly serving as a receptionist because her arthritis prevented her from carrying out nursing duties.
The clinic was sold last year to Dr Fary Johnson Vithayathil, who brought in Mrs Iqbal, a qualified dentist from India not yet eligible to practise in the UK.
Because Mrs Iqbal could not practise, she reportedly assumed the reception duties while Ms Howieson was off sick.
Ms Howieson said Mrs Iqbal was “rude and disrespectful”, would ignore her, roll her eyes when addressed, stop talking to others when she entered a room, and refuse to perform tasks.
Mrs Iqbal denied these claims, but the tribunal panel accepted Ms Howieson’s account.
The practice argued that Howieson’s role had not changed, a position the panel found to be “wholly at odds with the evidence”.
In September 2024 Ms Howieson told colleagues she felt she had been “reduced to being a cleaner” and formally raised concerns about her treatment.
The tribunal heard that assurances to deal with the problem were not honoured.
Hostilities with her colleague intensified and eventually triggered a panic attack.
Ms Howieson resigned the following month after suffering from being underpaid, which she described as the final straw.
An employment judge criticised the employer’s lack of action, calling it an “unacceptable omission” that helped create a hostile workplace.
The tribunal found several serious breaches of Ms Howieson’s contract and awarded her £25,254 in compensation.