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UK charity ordered to pay employee ₹2.7 lakh compensation after boss screamed 'I am the CEO' at her
The tribunal heard that the boss frequently shouted and swore at employees, threw boxes and behaved aggressively towards volunteers.
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A UK-based charity has been ordered to pay £2,160 (approximately ₹2.7 lakh) in compensation to a former employee after she was unfairly dismissed following a workplace dispute in which her boss allegedly screamed “I am the CEO” in her face.
According to a report by The Independent, Julie Mayes, a community support worker at The Carrbridge Centre in Wirral, Merseyside, was dismissed after raising concerns about the behaviour of the charity’s chief executive, Matthew Gibbs.
The Liverpool Employment Tribunal heard that Gibbs frequently shouted and swore at employees, threw boxes and behaved aggressively towards volunteers. Mayes also alleged that he used inappropriate sexualised language and once jumped onto a table, gyrating and thrusting his hips.
Mayes joined the charity on January 4, 2022, and worked with vulnerable families, children and elderly people, providing community support, emergency food and referrals to other services.
According to the tribunal, Mayes had experienced growing tensions with Gibbs over six to eight months as his behaviour allegedly became increasingly aggressive.
On July 18, 2024, she raised concerns about his conduct during a meeting with two charity trustees. She explained that some volunteers and service users had experienced abuse in the past and that Gibbs’ behaviour could trigger traumatic memories.
A month later, on August 21, another confrontation occurred after a service user complained about crates blocking the entrance to the centre. Gibbs allegedly reacted angrily, swearing at volunteers. When Mayes attempted to intervene, he turned his anger towards her.
The tribunal heard that Gibbs was “screaming in her face” and repeatedly saying, “I am the CEO”. Mayes said the incident left her deeply distressed. She later described leaving the centre, getting into her car and crying.
Following the confrontation, she was instructed to work from home.
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Why was she dismissed?
On September 4, 2024, the charity’s trustees received an anonymous communication alleging that Mayes had complained about Gibbs during a community meeting. The trustees subsequently suspected that she was involved in a campaign to remove the CEO.
During a fact-finding meeting on September 12, Mayes discussed Gibbs’ alleged aggressive behaviour. She also referred back to Gibbs dancing in a sexualised way in the Hub when members of the public were present, describing it as inappropriate.
However, the trustees questioned her about the community meeting without informing her beforehand that it would be discussed. She was later accused of participating in a group allegedly formed to remove the charity’s management and CEO.
Mayes was dismissed for gross misconduct on September 30, 2024. She appealed but the decision was upheld, so she took her employer to an employment tribunal in Liverpool.
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What did the tribunal say?
Employment Judge Alan Johnson ruled that Mayes had been unfairly dismissed, finding that the charity had failed to properly consider the evidence gathered during its investigation. The tribunal noted that the trustees had relied heavily on an anonymous witness’s allegations without establishing what Mayes had actually said at the community meeting.
Mayes had also complained of dismissal arising from making a protected disclosure but that was not upheld at the tribunal.
She was awarded £2,160.81 (approximately ₹2.7 lakh) in compensation for unfair dismissal.
