A senior property manager has lost an employment tribunal case after suing her employer for failing to congratulate her on her one-year work anniversary in a company WhatsApp group.
Rita Nunn, then 34, took legal action against HES Estate Management, alleging age and pregnancy discrimination. She claimed she felt 'overlooked' when no one acknowledged her anniversary in the group chat, despite previous celebrations for other staff.
The south London tribunal heard that work anniversary messages had been discontinued after employees complained about the volume of messages. However, Nunn argued that the lack of a message in her case was linked to her pregnancy, which she disclosed in June 2023. Her anniversary fell in August 2023, and she resigned the following month after taking maternity leave.
Employment Judge Nicholas Cox dismissed the claims, ruling that the failure to send a congratulatory message did not constitute unfavourable treatment. He noted that other employees also did not receive messages for first anniversaries by that time, and that such messages were not an entitlement.
The tribunal also heard that a message for a three-year anniversary had been sent in error in September 2023, but this did not affect the outcome. All of Nunn's claims were dismissed.
