Nurse receives £25k payout after co-worker rolled their eyes at her

A tribunal ruled that the act amounted to bullying.

A tribunal found that Maureen Howieson was subjected to 'rude, isolating, bullying, and belittling' behaviour by her co-worker, Jisna Iqbal.

The 64-year-old quit her job following the co-workers' 'strained' relationship at Great Junction Dental Practice in Edinburgh.

Ms Howieson worked in dentistry for over 40 years, mainly as a receptionist due to her arthritis prohibiting her from performing nursing tasks.

The practice was sold to Dr Fary Johnson Vithayathil last year, who hired Mrs Iqbal, a qualified dentist from India who was not yet eligible to practice in the UK.

Due to her ineligibility, she 'took over reception duties' while Ms Howieson was off sick.

Ms Howieson claimed that Mrs Iqbal was 'rude and disrespectful', would repeatedly ignore her, roll her eyes if spoken to, stop speaking to others when she entered the room, and also refuse to carry out tasks.

While Mrs Iqbal rejected the account, the panel 'accepted Ms Howieson's version of events'.

The clinic claimed Howieson's role didn't change; however, this was found to be 'wholly at odds with the evidence'.

In September 2024, Ms Howieson said she felt 'reduced to being a cleaner' and raised concerns about her treatment.

Additionally, the tribunal heard that promises to address the issue were not kept.

Tensions with her colleague escalated and eventually led to a panic attack.

Ms Howieson resigned the following month after being underpaid, calling it the final straw.

An employment judge later criticised the employer’s failure to act, describing it as an ;unacceptable omission' that contributed to a hostile work environment.

The tribunal found multiple serious breaches of Howieson's contract and awarded her £25,254 in compensation.