Employments tribunal shows danger of office qossip

摘要

A tribunal judgment about when office gossip crosses over into harassment is a timely warning to property firms about conduct to watch during the Christmas party season.Last month, the Employment Appeals Tribunal published its judgment in the case of Nixon v Ross Coates Solicitors. The case involves discrimination and harassment that followed on from an employee's conduct following a Christmas party in 2007.Sarah Nixon worked for Ross Coates Solicitors in Ipswich and was seen leaving the office Christmas party with a colleague, after which they had sex. Shortly after the Christmas break, Nixon told her employer she was pregnant. The firm's HR manager started to gossip about the paternity of the baby.