Security officer called ‘mummy’ by colleagues awarded £69k compensation

A female security officer who was repeatedly called “mummy” by male colleagues and subjected to sexist and racist behaviour at work has been awarded almost £69,000 in compensation by an employment tribunal.

Jennifer Cafferky, Associate Solicitor in our employment team, reports on this recent case.

The tribunal found that the woman, identified only as CL, was harassed on grounds of sex and age while working as a security officer for Mitie Limited at Southampton General Hospital. It also ruled that the treatment she experienced amounted to a discriminatory constructive dismissal.

CL began working for Mitie in July 2023 and was based at the hospital as part of two security teams that were largely male. The tribunal found she was good at her job and particularly skilled at calming difficult situations without the use of force.

Despite this, the tribunal upheld a series of complaints about her treatment by colleagues. These included being repeatedly referred to as “mummy”, regular jokes about her height, and being deliberately excluded by colleagues who greeted one another while ignoring her.

The tribunal found that the use of the term “mummy” was linked to both her sex and her age and, in the context of wider exclusion and workplace behaviour, contributed to a hostile and humiliating environment.

The judgment also upheld findings of sexist “banter” within the teams, including comments such as “all women and money are evil”. In addition, the tribunal found that a colleague used racist language in referring to a Chinese doctor, a remark the tribunal described as serious and unacceptable.

The tribunal concluded that the cumulative effect of this conduct breached the implied term of trust and confidence between employer and employee. It found that the harassment materially influenced CL’s decision to resign and that she had therefore been constructively dismissed in circumstances that amounted to discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.

Claims of direct discrimination, victimisation and whistleblowing detriment were dismissed. While the tribunal accepted that some complaints raised by CL could amount to protected disclosures, it found that the harassment was not caused by those disclosures.

At a separate remedy hearing held in October 2025, the tribunal ordered Mitie Limited to pay a total of £68,885.

This included £26,594 for financial losses flowing from the dismissal, along with £1,605 in interest. The tribunal also awarded £33,700 for injury to feelings, split equally between the harassment that occurred before CL left her job and the discriminatory dismissal itself.

An additional £5,318 was awarded in interest on the injury to feelings award, together with £1,667 to reflect tax gross-up.

If you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of employment law, please contact Jennifer on 01228 516666 or click here to send her an email.