UK woman gets fired for wearing sports shoes at work, wins Rs 32 lakh compensation

A 20-year-old woman was awarded £30,000 (approximately Rs 32.2 lakh) in compensation after being dismissed from her role at a recruiting agency for wearing trainers to work. Elizabeth Benassi, who began working at Maximus UK Services in 2022 at the age of 18, claimed she was unfairly targeted for her choice of footwear, despite other colleagues wearing similar shoes without repercussions.

Benassi’s case was heard at an employment tribunal in Croydon, south London, which ruled in her favour. The tribunal found that the company displayed a “desire to find fault” with the young employee and had failed to inform her about its dress code policy.

Benassi, employed for just three months, argued that she was singled out and treated “like a child” by her manager, who criticised her trainers. She told the tribunal that most of her colleagues were in their twenties, but as the youngest employee, she was subjected to excessive scrutiny and “micromanagement” because of her age.

Employment Judge Forwell noted that Benassi was unfairly confronted about her footwear upon arriving at the office. “No allowance was made for the fact that she was new and may not have been familiar with the dress code,” the judge said. “It was therefore a clear unfairness and indicates a desire to find fault.”