Rolled eyes at colleague, Indian doctor fined £25,254; incident at London

LONDON: A London employment tribunal has ruled against an Indian doctor who repeatedly insulted, threatened and belittled her colleague by rolling her eyes. The verdict has been issued against dentist Jisna Iqbal. The court has ordered Maureen Howieson, a dental nurse, to be paid £25,254 (approximately Rs 30 lakh) in compensation.

The dispute that reached the court was the one that took place at the Great Junction Dental Practice in Edinburgh, London. Maureen is a nurse with more than 40 years of experience. Maureen complained that Jisna, a dental therapist, had repeatedly disrespected her at work, stared at her and rolled her eyes. Although she was a dentist in India, Jisna was not qualified to practice in the UK. Jisna began taking over the receptionist duties, a role Maureen had held for years. The problems between the two worsened when Maureen cried at work in September last year.

Documents and evidence regarding the issues between Maureen and Jisna were presented to the tribunal. Although Jisna denied Maureen's allegations, the court's verdict was against her. The court found that Maureen was a victim of intimidation and workplace bullying. The court stated that actions such as eye rolling in the workplace can be considered bullying and if such actions continue, the employer will be liable.