A manager was awarded £50,000 after being wrongly dismissed by her employers, who concluded that she had been drinking during her lunch break. The case matters because the woman’s apparent drowsiness was linked to medication for bipolar disorder rather than alcohol, raising concerns about how employers assess health-related behaviour before taking disciplinary action.

The employer reportedly treated her presentation as evidence of drunkenness and dismissed her on that basis. A tribunal found the dismissal wrongful, leading to the payout; the case highlights the need for workplaces to consider medical explanations and relevant evidence when concerns arise about an employee’s fitness for work.