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A great grandmother has been awarded nearly £25,000 for an unfair dismissal after bosses fed up with her taking time off work to care for a 'naughty' child told her to give him a 'good slap'.
Stephanie Lee-Shields resigned from Exquisite Displays in Leicester after working there for almost 20 years, following an argument where it was suggested she get physical with a child to stop her having to miss work.
An employment tribunal heard that she became the carer of a four year old child, referred to only as X, in May 2021 which placed 'great strain' on her and meant she was under 'a lot of stress, pressure and anxiety' as she was 'juggling a lot of things' including the day to day care for the child.
Employment Judge Robert Clark agreed there had been 'aggressive criticism' of Mrs Lee-Shields, and 'frustration' at her caring commitments before awarding her £24,725 in compensation.
Stephanie Lee-Shields resigned from Exquisite Displays (pictured) in Leicester after working there for almost 20 years, following a heated argument where it was suggested she get physical with the four year old to stop her having to miss work
Employment Judge Robert Clark agreed there had been 'aggressive criticism' of Mrs Lee-Shields, and 'frustration' at her caring commitments before awarding her £24,725 in compensation. Pictured: Tribunals service in Leicester
She had a 'large family' and that due to various circumstances she had to 'return to the role of parent to small children'.
The tribunal was told bosses knew of Mrs Lee-Shields' situation with X from 'very early on' with adjustments being made to 'support her'.
In July 2021 she asked for a meeting with the directors - Kevin Bennet and Maxine Carvey - about juggling work and caring for X.
The Leicester hearing was told whilst 'sympathetic' to her circumstances, Mr Bennet was
