An NHS employee has received nearly £30,000 in damages after being likened to the infamous Star Wars character, Darth Vader, at her workplace.
Lorna Rooke’s coworker took a Star Wars-themed personality assessment on her behalf, which ultimately categorized Ms. Rooke as resembling Darth Vader.
An employment tribunal in Croydon, located in south London, determined that this incident constituted a “detriment,” indicating it had a harmful effect on Ms. Rooke, who was employed in a department dedicated to blood donation.
The claimant reported feelings of being “unpopular” and experienced low mood and anxiety as a direct result of her work environment.
The team had participated in a Myers-Briggs-style questionnaire with a Star Wars twist, with results designating each member as a different Star Wars character, according to the tribunal’s explanation.
While Ms. Rooke was momentarily absent, a colleague took the test on her behalf.
The Darth Vader designation was portrayed as belonging to a “highly focused individual who unites the team,” but the judge expressed skepticism regarding any positive implications of this characterization.
“Darth Vader is a notorious antagonist in the Star Wars saga, and being associated with his persona is derogatory,” asserted Judge Kathryn Ramsden.
She noted that since the test was administered based on another person’s perspective and subsequently shared with the collective, it was “not surprising” that Ms. Rooke felt distressed by the comparison.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator categorizes individuals into 16 personalities based on traits such as introversion, intuition, thinking versus feeling, and how they perceive and judge their surroundings.
During the tribunal, it was revealed that Ms. Rooke had started her tenure with the NHS Blood and Transplant service in 2003 as a training and practice supervisor, and this incident contributed to her decision to resign in 2021.
While she was successful in her claim for detriment due to protected disclosure, she did not prevail in her accusations of unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, or failure to provide reasonable adjustments.
Ms. Rooke was awarded £28,989.61 in compensation.
