NatWest worker fired for selling sex work online was unfairly dismissed, tribunal finds

The Skin Map site, which Ahmed also harnessed to promote “sensual massages” for £25, was linked to his LinkedIn profile that also showed he worked for the bank.

Yet Ahmed’s side hustle rubbed his bosses up the wrong way, as they feared his extra-curricular activities could harm the bank’s reputation.

An employment tribunal in Croydon agreed that the bank’s reputation could have been harmed by the link to Mr Ahmed’s sex work and dismissed his claims of disability discrimination.

Though the tribunal ruled in Ahmed’s favour, he will receive no compensation, for the judge concluded that he would have been fairly sacked if the rules had been properly followed.

Instead, the judge ruled that the disciplinary process behind his firing had been flawed as the bank had not informed him that they were considering letting him go.

A data and analytics analyst, Ahmed was posted in the bank’s flagship data office in Brighton, East Sussex.

Joining the bank in March 2018, Ahmed soon fell out with some of the management team, referring to one of his managers as a “big baby”.

The tribunal was told that Ahmed had a habit of going offline at various times during working days, leaving the office without explanation, and intimidating colleagues.

On one occasion, a female colleague was reportedly left “cowering” after Ahmed told her she had an “insecure personality,” the tribunal heard.

When confronted by his manager, Ahmed threatened to “take him apart” and accused him of cyberstalking, the tribunal was told.

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The tribunal heard that Ahmed acknowledged he was offering sex work and accepted that his LinkedIn profile linkedin to the Skin Map site.

In terms of damaging the bank’s reputation, Ahmed conceded that he had“some sympathy” for the argument.

“However, when it was suggested to him that it might make colleagues uncomfortable, he said he placed responsibility for that on gossip between colleagues, because there was no reasonable reason for colleagues to be gossiping about his website,” the tribunal was told.

Chris Bouwers, a NatWest manager, held a meeting with Mr Ahmed in May 2020 to discuss a growing list of disciplinary manners and was sent a letter of dismissal in October.