Common workplace gesture can be classed as bullying as lead to £25k payout

Employment ­tribunaljudgement suggests that firms can be held liable for damages if a worker is found to have used the non-verbal gesture to target a colleague

Rolling your eyes at someone at work can be classed as “bullying”, an employment ­tribunal has ruled.

The judgement suggests that firms can be held liable for damages if a worker is found to have used the non-verbal gesture to target a colleague.

Dental nurse Maureen Howieson was awarded a £25,000 payou t by the tribunal after it heard how she was repeatedly subjected to the expression by a colleague.

Jisna Iqbal rolled her eyes whenever she spoke to the 64-year-old, the hearing was told. The pair had a “strained” relationship at the Great Junction Dental Practice in Edinburgh where they worked, the tribunal in the city heard.

Ms Howieson ended up quitting her job, but has now won her claim for unfair constructive dismissal. The tribunal found she was subjected to “rude, isolating, bullying and belittling” ­behaviour that amounted to a breach of her contract.

Meanwhile a woman has been slapped with a £100 fine after a fellow train passenger moaned that her cat “miaowed too loudly”.

Monet the white cat was journeying with owner Camille and her partner Pierre on August 21 when a grumpy passenger made a complaint, prompting a conductor to issue the penalty. Despite the moggy travelling in a carrier, as regulations demand, with its own €7 (£6) ticket, they were hit with a €110 (£100) fine.

The penalty was imposed as the couple and their feline companion travelled on a high-speed service between Vannes, Brittany, and Paris, despite Camille’s insistence that Monet had only “miaowed a bit” at the beginning of their journey.

Complaint

She told local news outlet BFM: “After a passenger complained, the conductor came and fined us €110. It’s a shame that the SNCF allows itself to fine people who are simply travelling with their animals and who are respecting all the rules.”

Camille was given a document explaining the reason for the penalty, stating that “several customers” had complained about the racket. It also alleged that she was being prosecuted for “troubling public order”, reports the Mirror.

The fine has triggered a furious debate online, with some passengers slamming rules on the French rail network as excessively strict. It read: “The customer is travelling with a cat that won’t stop miaowing. After complaints from several customers, we have asked her to move.

“She has refused. Because the cat is noisy, we are starting legal procedures for troubling public order due to noise.”

Supporters of the state railway company (SNCF) have applauded the move, which maintains tranquillity within the carriages. Yet the feline’s owner, Camille, has insisted that Monet merely “miaowed a bit at the start” of their rail journey across France, according to BFM news channel.

SNCF has subsequently stated that Camille declined to relocate to a less crowded carriage, which the company describes as a “simple and common-sense solution” that would have ensured “peace” for everyone concerned. The rail firm maintains the penalty resulted from disruption she created, rather than just the mewing noises, claiming the cat generated only “acute tensions”.