Gatehouse Bank has successfully defended itself against an unfair dismissal claim brought by a former employee.
The claimant, who worked as a Direct Adviser at the bank from September 2020 to May 2022, alleged that she was unfairly dismissed and subjected to detriment for raising health and safety concerns.
The claimant had reported Gatehouse Bank for breaching Health and Safety of Remote Working Policy after raising concerns about her workload and stress to her line manager.
She argued that her subsequent dismissal was due to her raising these concerns, while the bank maintained that it was due to her capability/performance.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that the claimant was a highly experienced mortgage adviser with over 20 years of experience, but was not familiar with the type of product offered by Gatehouse Bank.
The bank, which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, offers Home Purchase Plans as an alternative to mortgages in order to comply with Shariah law and lend to overseas customers.
The judge ultimately ruled in favor of Gatehouse Bank, stating that the claimant had not provided sufficient evidence to establish a causal link between raising health and safety concerns and her subsequent dismissal.
The judge also noted that the bank was aware of concerns about long hours and workload, but there was no evidence to suggest that the bank was critical of the claimant for raising these concerns.
