An estate agent from Rickmansworth who was asked to move to a Chorleywood branch and back again has won a payout over his desk position.
In 2022, Nicholas Walker, 53, was asked to move from his former Robsons estate agents branch in Rickmansworth – where he had worked for five years – to a new branch in Chorleywood, despite court documents stating that it was “not as successful or busy as the Rickmansworth branch”.
In 2023, he was asked to return to the Rickmansworth branch, where he had “mixed feelings” as “he had worked hard to set up and improve the Chorleywood branch”.
The documents add: “On the other hand, there was better earning potential at Rickmansworth. He felt somewhat unsettled by the move.”
Mr Walker, who now works at Gibbs Gillespie, was shocked to find out he wouldn’t be returning to his old role or desk and would instead be sharing with a junior colleague.
According to reports, the tribunal heard that Mr Walker was upset about the situation when returning to the Rickmansworth branch, taking the new desk position as a demotion particularly as it had not been discussed prior to his return.
The court documents state that the desk in the back of the office had “symbolic significance” and was the desk he sat at as branch manager, but he would now be sharing a middle desk with a junior colleague.
A meeting ensued where his line manager said something to the effect of “that he could not believe that ‘a f****** 53-year-old man’ or ‘a man of your age’ was making a fuss about a desk”.
Mr Walker then resigned and took his employer to the Tribunal in February for unfair constructive dismissal.
He won on the grounds of “unfair dismissal” and will now receive a payout to be determined at a later date.
Robsons have been contacted for comment.
Photo credit: Google Maps
0 Comments