There was a woman named Karen who attempted a lawsuit against her former employer, marking what many would consider a classic ‘Karen moment.’ Unfortunately for her, the situation didn’t turn out in her favor.
Throughout your career, you are bound to encounter a variety of jobs. Some will be fulfilling and hard to part with, while others will leave you eager to leave as soon as possible.
However, if you didn’t receive a farewell card upon leaving a job, would you make a big deal out of it?
One woman in the UK certainly did, opting for legal action against her employer.
Karen Conaghan alleged that IAG, a leading airline company that owns British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia, failed to recognize her departure by not providing a goodbye card.
She argued that the oversight amounted to victimization and a breach of equality laws.
However, an employment tribunal uncovered further details surrounding the incident.
During the hearing, it was revealed that managers did prepare a goodbye card for her, but only three colleagues signed it. They ultimately chose not to present it to her, believing it would be more insulting, according to the judge presiding over the case.
Judge Kevin Palmer commented, “He believed it would have been more insulting to give her the card than not to give her a card at all.”
Conaghan’s lawsuit contained 40 allegations against IAG, including claims of sexual harassment, victimization, and unfair dismissal. However, the court dismissed all the claims.
The tribunal determined that the incidents “either did not happen or, if they did, they were innocuous interactions in the normal course of employment,” as reported by The Times.
The judge also assessed Conaghan’s character based on her claims.
He noted that one of the allegations reflected Conaghan’s tendency to view normal interactions as something more sinister.
He further remarked that Conaghan possessed a ‘conspiracy theory mentality’ regarding typical workplace interactions.
An example reported by The Guardian noted that she had taken offense when a colleague asked, “Are you taking the p*ss, Karen?” in response to her claim of doing “all the hard work.” This British phrase is commonly used to question if someone is joking or making fun of you.