A high street shop assistant has won more than £12,000 after her boss berated her about wearing 'horrid orange' Nike trainers to work. New Look worker Samantha Jackson felt bullied after line manager Kirsty Sherburn said her footwear was inappropriate and she should be wearing 'more fashionable' brands like Converse or Vans.
Ms Jackson - who said she needed to wear more comfortable trainers to help deal with a knee condition - eventually resigned. But an employment tribunal ruled Mrs Sherburn had no reason to criticise her employee's trainers and had therefore unfairly dismissed her, leading her to be awarded compensation.
The Sheffield panel heard Ms Jackson worked at the Crystal Peaks store in the city as a sales assistant from September 2003 until April 2019. Ms Jackson suffered from hyperflexion in her knee as a result of a fall at college in January 2018, so had to wear trainers with extra support to ease her pain.
