In a light-hearted case, an Employment Tribunal ruled on a claim involving an employee who argued she was discriminated against for not receiving a leaving card. In Conaghan v IAG GBS Ltd (British Airways), the claimant alleged that her employer failed to acknowledge her with a leaving card when she left the company in 2021.

The case took an amusing turn when the Tribunal heard from her colleague responsible for collecting signatures. He stopped after only three people signed, thinking it would be more insulting to give her a card with so few signatures than to skip it entirely. A gift was arranged instead, but no card was provided due to his embarrassment over the situation. One can only imagine the discomfort of learning under oath that you were so disliked that people refused to sign your farewell card!

Additional claims for harassment, unfair dismissal, and victimization were filed but ultimately failed. Among the remarks captured in the judgment was a colleague’s comment, “Are you taking the piss, Karen?”—one can only wonder.