ET: Being told to ‘grow up’ not discriminatory
Being told to “grow up” does not amount to discrimination at work, a tribunal has ruled after a teenage hairdresser sued her employer.
Jasmine Stunell, a hairdressing apprentice, was also told to “pull herself together”. She quit her job at the boutique salon and brought claims of discrimination and constructive dismissal.
The tribunal pointed out that the remarks are used to indicate someone is acting in a childish way and could be directed at anyone. They were not age-related comments.
Ms Stunell had begun working at the Leo Bancroft salon in Weybridge, Surrey in 2017. In 2018, she became an apprentice there. She alleged a female colleague told her to “grow up” and to pull herself together when she was being sick. The colleague denied making the remarks, saying she had a phobia of people being sick and would not have been near Ms Stunell.
The tribunal dismissed all of Ms Stunell’s claims. Employment judge, Anne Martin, said that “in all the circumstances” they were not well founded.