A trainee accountant has won a sex discrimination case against a family-run accountancy firm after her boss accused her of "skiving" whilst caring for her children.
Holly Grant was told by her supervisor at Buffery & Co in Henley-on-Thames that it would be "difficult for her to succeed" at the company because she was the mother of two small children.
The comments came just one week into her apprenticeship at the Oxfordshire firm, which helps trainees qualify as chartered accountants.
She was then dismissed after only a month in the role.
Holly Grant was told by her supervisor at Buffery & Co in Henley-on-Thames (pictured) that it would be 'difficult for her to succeed' at the firm as a mother
Supervisor Katie Thompson, who was single with no children, had warned the company owners against "hiring someone with children" before Grant started.
At the tribunal, Thompson claimed being a parent was a "barrier to success" at work, comparing it to having a "time-intensive hobby" like rowing.
The company is run by Mark Buffery, 65, and his wife Karen, who serves as the head of HR and accounts.
Thompson also voiced concerns that Grant "would not have the time necessary to complete the work" due to her childcare responsibilities.
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When Grant started at the firm in June 2023, she was still breastfeeding and requested space to express milk (file photo)
PA
When Grant started at the firm in June 2023, she was still breastfeeding and requested space to express milk, which Mr Buffery granted.
The company also agreed she could work from home on Fridays to allow for study time.
But Thompson accused Grant of "skiving" during these arranged home-working days, telling her "you may as well not bother working at all".
Grant later told the tribunal: "This maybe should not have come as a surprise, seeing as I got regular comments such as 'you may as well not bother working at all' and 'skiving again on a Friday?' directed towards my flexible working pattern."
Thompson dismissed these remarks as "banter."
Grant was dismissed on July 21, 2023, just one day after a review meeting following which Mr Buffery claimed by email that she would "struggle to complete the training required to pass the exams".
In response, Grant wrote that she was "shocked" by the decision, noting she had been "progressing well" according to feedback from others.
She challenged the dismissal directly, writing: "To end my employment because my home life does not suit your model is immoral (and frankly illegal) regardless of whether I am in my probation period."
Mr and Mrs Buffery later claimed performance concerns, but this was dismissed by the tribunal.
Employment judge Christabel McCooey ruled that how Grant would manage childcare was a "recurring theme" and "central concern" for the company.
McCooey added: "We do not accept that a convincing analogy can be drawn between a woman with child caring responsibilities and a man with a time-intensive hobby, like rowing."
She found Thompson held "an unconscious discriminatory view" that mothers were less likely to succeed at work - and the tribunal ruled such comments would not have been made to a man in the same position.
Grant's compensation will be determined at a later date.
