Depressed Stockbroker Made To Sit on 'Naughty Steps' After Time Off

A stockbroker has accused his employer of insensitivity at the time of wading through a severe mental health crisis. A star employee at Sunrise Brokers, suffered a temporary low in his personal life, followed by a few professional misses.

Upon taking four months of voluntary leave to recuperate from a depressive episode, he was treated to horrendously inappropriate behavior at the hands of his bosses who unfairly sacked him after putting him through a spat of embarrassing instances upon his return to work.

The incident dates back to the year 2018, when he suffered a family bereavement and temporarily lost focus at work, which resulted in him losing many clients. His mistreatment began after he was placed on the “naughty step” by his superiors at work – and was reportedly confined to reading company policy manuals instead of equity trading to “put him in his place”, as was stated by an employment tribunal, reported Evening Standard.

“He was not allowed to sit at his usual desk, but was seated away from others,” said Judge David Massarella, further adding how the said employee's colleague quipped about the punishment, and “referred to him as a naughty boy and said that he was sitting on the ‘naughty step’,” despite which he laughed along to keep a “semblance of dignity”.

The broker was also stripped of his bonus and eventually dismissed. The act of ousting him was taken without considering the very fact that his mental health was on the decline.

In his defense, he argued that he had negotiated a sabbatical when he left London for France in August 2018, but the firm failed to take into consideration that the time-off was officially approved. What’s more, reports suggested the higher-ups in the organization “improperly edited” notes of the disciplinary process to justify his untimely dismissal.

The law, however, was in the former employee's favor, and he won his claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. Further probe is underway, with reports suggesting that the court will consider damages at a future hearing.

(The name has been kept confidential to protect the identity of the person).