UK dental nurse lands $50k payout after colleague’s constant eye-rolls amounted to workplace bullying

Rolling your eyes at work might feel harmless, but a tribunal has ruled it can amount to bullying, contract breaches and even land an employer with a $51,000 bill.

One dental nurse has been awarded thousands of dollars for constructive dismissal after a fellow worker made the gesture whenever she spoke to her.

The decision came after Maureen Howieson, a 64-year-old dental nurse, launched legal action over her treatment at Great Junction Dental Practice in Edinburgh.

She told the panel that her colleague Jisna Iqbal repeatedly belittled her, rolling her eyes whenever she spoke, refusing to cooperate, and even stopping conversations when she entered a room.

The tribunal heard that Ms Howieson had worked in dentistry for over four decades. However, due to her arthritis, dental tasks had become more difficult, especially in recent years. Because of this, she had largely moved into reception duties, The Daily Mail reported.

In 2023, the dental practice was sold to a new owner, Dr Fary Johnson Vithayathil. His wife was hired as business manager, and Ms Iqbal, a qualified dentist in India but not yet able to practice in the UK, began covering reception work while Ms Howieson was off sick.

It was at this point, the relationship between the two women soured, badly.

Ms Howieson described her colleague as “rude and disrespectful,” claiming she rolled her eyes when spoken to, ignored her instructions, and even refused to carry out tasks.

“We were told nothing the whole time,” she recalled.

The tribunal accepted her version of events, rejecting Ms Iqbal’s denial of the behaviour.

It found Ms Howieson had endured “rude, isolating, bullying and belittling” treatment that breached her contract multiple times.

In September 2024, tensions reached a breaking point.

Ms Howieson broke down in tears during a meeting with the practice owner, telling colleagues she had been “reduced to being a cleaner.”

The very next day, Ms Iqbal allegedly refused to vacate the reception when Ms Howieson was due to start her shift.

Although Dr Vithayathil promised his wife would intervene, the tribunal heard that nothing was done to address the ongoing issues and instead, the toxic workplace culture escalated.

At one stage, Ms Howieson suffered a panic attack brought on by the stress.

The final straw came weeks later when she was incorrectly underpaid. Feeling her concerns were being ignored, she resigned in October 2024.

Employment Judge Ronald Mackay condemned the clinic’s “failure” to act on Ms Howieson’s complaints, calling it “an unacceptable omission.”

He said assurances that her grievances would be resolved “were not kept, leading to an ongoing hostile working environment.”

The tribunal found the clinic’s claim that Ms Howieson’s role had not changed was “wholly at odds with the evidence.”

It concluded she had been constructively dismissed, ruling there were multiple serious breaches of her contract.

Ms Howieson was awarded £25,254 in compensation ($A51,000) for constructive dismissal.