A civil servant sued the Ministry of Defence for racism after being disciplined for taking time off during working hours, an employment tribunal has heard.
Victor Stanley-Idum, a senior executive officer, claimed his manager held a stereotypical view of "black Africans being lazy" after he received an official warning for his "casual attitude to working hours".
Stanley-Idum launched legal action against the MoD for race and disability discrimination, race harassment and victimisation.
The case centred on a series of unplanned absences while staff were largely working remotely during the pandemic.
And though the complainant initially brought claims against five individuals, he ultimately only pursued the case against the MoD.
A general view of the name plaque of the Ministry of Defence
GETTYSharon Docherty, his manager, gave Stanley-Idum an informal warning in October 2021 for repeatedly being unavailable for work without prior warning.
Following complaints about his availability, he was placed on a strict timetable dictating his exact working hours.
The new regime required him to outline his objectives and achievements each day.
He unsuccessfully launched a grievance over his treatment in January 2022.
He claimed he was subject to "a racial stereotype of laziness and dishonesty" and was being "bullied at work".
All of Stanley-Idum's claims were thrown out - many were submitted to the court too late, and those that were valid were not upheld by the tribunal.
The tribunal heard he gave various excuses for his absences, including needing to buy a vacuum cleaner.
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Following complaints about his availability, he was placed on a strict timetable dictating his exact working hours (file photo)
GETTY
On one occasion in October 2021, he took an Uber to the airport to collect family members during working hours.
Although he claimed to have completed his morning's work on his phone and laptop in the back of the Uber, the tribunal found this explanation "unconvincing".
He also cited "broadband issues" while moving house as a reason for being offline for hours.
Stanley-Idum failed to attend a team away day at Sandhurst military academy in person, despite indicating he would.
Managers noted he frequently logged on late and left early during remote working.
Employment Judge Tim Adkin rejected Mr Stanley-Idum's claims of racial discrimination.
He said: "We have not formed the impression based on all the evidence in this case that Docherty held a stereotypical view of black Africans being lazy or dishonest nor indeed that that was a widely held stereotype."
The tribunal found that MoD bosses believed Stanley-Idum was giving "inconsistent or inaccurate accounts" of his whereabouts.
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The tribunal found that MoD bosses believed Stanley-Idum was giving 'inconsistent or inaccurate accounts' of his whereabouts
PA"He was working remotely, as indeed were most of his colleagues. There were a series of concerns raised about his output and it was difficult to monitor what [he] was working on," the judge said.
The tribunal concluded there was evidence he was using working hours for personal activities.
The proceedings, held remotely, heard that Stanley-Idum joined the MoD as an analyst in April 2017.
He was later promoted to work as a project manager in the central transformation team in April 2020, just after the pandemic lockdown began.
By autumn 2021, his managers had developed significant concerns about his performance.
The tribunal was told his "unorthodox" working style had become problematic.
The remote working environment, a legacy of the pandemic, meant that "management supervision was almost entirely absent".
