Remote Worker Wins Case Against Employer After Being Forced to Turn on Camera During Meeting

A remote British worker who suffered from anxiety won a disability discrimination case after her employer allegedly denied her request to keep her camera off during a virtual meeting.

The Independent reported on Wednesday, July 22, that Laura Tait, a travel consultant who worked from home for Holiday Extras’ call center starting in June 2021, had spent over a year requesting accommodations for her anxiety, including permission to join meetings with her camera off and to take on fewer voice calls.

By April 2022, she told her manager that ongoing stress had caused several anxiety-related absences, and by April 2023, she requested emergency leave due to burnout.

As per The Telegraph, the situation came to a head during a remote training session on August 24, 2023, when Tait requested to keep her camera off, urging she felt “super anxious.”

She was told to start with it on and see how she managed, but couldn’t cope, and was eventually allowed to log off. Tait went on sick leave in October 2023 due to work-related stress and has not returned.

She filed a discrimination complaint in April 2024, which was initially dismissed, along with her appeal. However, the tribunal ultimately sided with her.

New York Post reported that Employment Judge Liz Ord ruled that Holiday Extras “did not allow the requested adjustment on August 24, 2023, when they were first made aware of Ms Tait being overwhelmed,” adding that the accommodation “was reasonable and should have been put in place” from that date.

The judge found Tait had faced “substantial disadvantages in the workplace” as a result.

Her compensation amount will be determined at a later date.