CALLING a colleague a “nutter” could be harassment, an employment judge has ruled.
He said workers who use the term may be found liable under employment law for creating an “unpleasant and hostile” environment.
It comes after the case of Royal Mail worker Corleen Maynard, who was called the name at a mail centre in Croydon, South London.
She claimed she was picked on by her mostly Pakistani colleagues from 2020 onwards because she is black.
Ms Maynard would frequently argue with them, and claimed she was the “victim of a cabal”, the Croydon tribunal heard.
One co-worker told her to shut up and another said “some people have no brains”.
Others then began to use insults including “ugly bitch”.
Some said she was “mentally ill” and would mutter things including “nutter” under their breath.
Employment Judge Michael Reed said that word can meet the harassment threshold.
But Ms Maynard’s discrimination and racial harassment case was rejected as it was not proven she was targeted due to ethnicity.
Judge Reed said: “I have concluded that this was unwanted conduct, which had the effect of creating a hostile environment.
“But the evidence was not such as to allow for an inference this related to her race.”
