Employer wins case over dismissal of employee who called a manager a ‘slapper’
An employee of a major supermarket for nearly 20 years worked as a personal shopper. In April 2025, the employee was overheard talking to four colleagues about her manager. She called her a “slapper” and said that she had “slept her way up” or “slept her way to the top”. In simple terms, she was suggesting that her manager had used sexual relationships to get her management job. This matter was investigated and it was found that her comments were serious enough to be considered gross misconduct.
Gross misconduct means behaviour that an employer considers serious enough that it can justify dismissing an employee. The employee was dismissed, she appealed against the dismissal, but her appeal was rejected.
The employee claimed she was unfairly dismissed and also claimed wrongful dismissal, which generally means she believed her employer had broken her employment contract when dismissing her.
The employment tribunal rejected the claims as the judge said the employer had carried out a detailed disciplinary investigation. The employee admitted that she had called her manager a “slapper”. She also accepted that the word was a sexual insult.
The judge considered the comments to be very serious as the employee had not only used a sexual insult about her manager but had also spread a rumour that her manager had used sex to obtain her position. Trust and confidence is a legal term meaning that an employee’s behaviour is so serious that it can amount to a fundamental breach of their employment contract.
In this case the Tribunal decided that the employer had acted fairly and that the seriousness of her comments justified the dismissal.
This case evidences the importance of a fair and consistent process of disciplinary. 121 HR Solutions is experienced in assisting clients with such matters. For assistance, contact us enquiries@121hrsolutions.co.uk to discuss further.
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