After being fired from her position at a recruiting agency for wearing trainers to work, a 20-year-old woman was given 30,000 pounds (Rs 32,20,818) in compensation. Elizabeth Benassi, who started working at Maximus UK Services in 2022, said she didn’t know the company had a dress code and that she was unfairly singled out because of her shoes, even though other coworkers wore comparable shoes and got away with it.

Benassi, an 18-year-old when she was hired, stated in an employment tribunal she was treated “like a child” by a manager who criticised her choice of trainers. The employment tribunal hearing in Croydon, south London, found on her side. It determined that the company showed a “desire to find fault” with the young employee.

The recruitment agency had only employed Benassi for three months when she faced her sacking. The tribunal was also told that most of her colleagues were in their twenties and that Benassi was the youngest employee at the company and was being “micromanaged” because of her age.

Maximus UK Services, which supplies services to the Department for Work and Pensions, denied any wrongdoing, but the tribunal ruled in favour of Benassi, awarding her 29,187 pounds in compensation for victimisation. The ruling raises concerns with age-based discrimination and treatment towards young workers at work.

According to The Metro, Employment Judge Forwell said: “Had that been the case, Ms Ashraf would no doubt have mentioned it at the time in her email in response. So, Ms Benassi was immediately and unfairly tackled about this on arrival at the office.”

“No allowance was made for the fact that she was new and may not have been familiar with the dress code. It was therefore a clear unfairness and indicates a desire to find fault.” The employment tribunal dismissed her other claim of age-related harassment.