Woman with ADHD called 'disorganised' by boss for missing meeting wins payout

A woman with ADHD won an employment tribunal after a judge ruled that calling her 'disorganised' violated her dignity.

Nicole Hogger joined the public relations firm Genesis PR back in 2018 as an account executive, later being promoted to the role of account manager two years later.

After the promotion Hogger disclosed to her line manager Alison Straker that she was struggling with her workload.

She was later diagnosed with ADHD - with a doctor noting that Hogger exhibited 'poor organisation, forgetfulness and difficulty getting started on tasks requiring significant mental effort' - something which she disclosed to Straker in a private meeting.

The report also ruled that Hogger struggled with 'maintaining attention' and that 'procrastination has always been a problem' for her.

Nicole Hogger won a tribunal against her former employer (Getty Stock Images)

Other managers began to notice that Hogger was 'slipping behind' on her workload, and further concerns were raised when Hogger missed a team meeting, mistakenly thinking she could dial in when it was an in-person meeting at the company office.

Straker also claimed Hogger's colleagues had occasionally struggled to contact her, and she would later say she had been 'out for a massage, to Starbucks or to the supermarket' - though the tribunal ruling notes there is 'very little evidence that the Claimant could not be contacted or that it was an issue'.

This led to Straker suggesting that Hogger's absences could make colleagues 'think she was disorganised or uncommitted'.

Hogger would show up late to a client event, prompting her to be placed on a Performance Improvement Plan.

She resigned the next day, saying 'it was time for her to take a new path and continue her professional development elsewhere'.

Her case was taken to a tribunal where judge, Roger Tynan backed Hogger's claims, ruling that the comments had undermined her in the workplace.

"We consider that it was reasonable for [Nicole] to feel that her dignity had been violated and that an adverse environment had been created as a result of the comments on 19 June 2023," he said.

Hogger won the tribunal after a judge ruled her employer had violated her dignity with the' disorganised' comment (LinkdedIn)

"[Genesis PR] acted in these matters without reasonable and proper cause," the ruling continued.

"It discriminated against [Nicole] by: failing to make a reasonable adjustment; subjecting her to an adverse environment on 19 June 2023; and taking a disproportionate approach to performance issues in July 2023."

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Tynan acknowledged that Straker had intended her comments to be 'constructive' but advised that she should instead have explored to raise awareness of Hogger's ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions amongst her immediate colleagues.

He added there was 'little, if anything' Hogger 'could usefully do with the feedback'.

For this reason, he ruled that Genesis PR had violated equality legislation in how they handled Hogger's case.

Compensation will be awarded at a later date.