Nurse Wins $32,000 Payout After Colleague Mocked Her With Eye-Rolls

A dental nurse who endured repeated instances of a colleague rolling her eyes at her during work has been awarded more than $32,000 by an employment tribunal. The ruling highlighted how even non-verbal actions can become a serious workplace issue when they are persistent and targeted.

Maureen Howieson received $32,048 in compensation after the tribunal concluded that she faced continuous 'bullying and belittling' while working at the Great Junction Dental Practice in Edinburgh. The case showed how small gestures, if repeated, can deeply affect someone’s mental well-being and create a toxic environment.

The situation began after 64-year-old Howieson’s relationship with a new dental therapist, Jisna Iqbal, quickly became strained not long after Iqbal joined the practice in July. What started as tension soon developed into ongoing hostility that made it difficult for Howieson to continue her job.

Despite having more than 40 years of experience in the dental field, Howieson was mainly assigned to the reception desk due to arthritis that limited her ability to perform hands-on nursing duties. Her decades of knowledge and loyalty to the clinic were clear, but her role was adjusted for health reasons.

In contrast, Iqbal was trained and qualified as a dentist in India, though she had not yet met the requirements to practice dentistry in the UK. This created an unusual balance in the workplace where both women had expertise but different responsibilities.

According to reports from The Times, court documents revealed that Iqbal began taking over receptionist duties from Howieson without her being informed, leaving her sidelined and undermined in her own position. This added to the stress and worsened the tension between them.

Testimony shared during the tribunal described how Iqbal would often refuse to complete certain tasks and behaved rudely toward Howieson. One of the most damaging patterns was that she would 'repeatedly' roll her eyes whenever Howieson spoke, which left her feeling humiliated and disrespected in front of others.

Another dentist at the practice, Daniela Siersch, confirmed Howieson’s version of events. Siersch noted that Iqbal not only refused to do certain duties but also showed dismissive behavior, reinforcing the claims that her conduct went beyond simple workplace disagreements.

Maureen Howieson was awarded £25k after Jisna Iqbal allegedly 'rolled her eyes' at her Google Maps

On one occasion, when Iqbal was asked to clean a toilet area before an inspection, her response was reportedly that 'she was a dentist'. This dismissive attitude further illustrated the tension within the team and her refusal to contribute to basic tasks required of everyone.

In October 2024, the situation reached a breaking point. Howieson suffered a panic attack at work, leaving her in tears, and ultimately resigned from her role at the practice. The emotional strain and stress had become too overwhelming for her to continue.

Practice leader Dr. Fary Johnson Vithayathil admitted that 'there had been issues with Mrs Iqbal before', yet no action was taken to address or resolve them. This lack of response worsened the situation and played a role in the tribunal’s decision.

Jisna Iqbal has been accused of 'bullying' Howieson LinkedIn

Employment Judge Ronald Mackay concluded that the Great Junction Dental Practice failed to resolve Howieson’s concerns and left her in an 'ongoing hostile working environment'. This pointed to serious shortcomings in how the workplace handled complaints and staff welfare.

Mackay emphasized that the employer was aware of what was happening but 'did nothing to stop it'. He also found that the practice had committed 'multiple repudiatory breaches' of her employment contract, which led to an unfair constructive dismissal ruling.

The judge added that promises made to Howieson about resolving the situation 'were not kept', further eroding her trust in the employer and leaving her with no choice but to resign.

Their relationship became 'strained' shortly after Iqbal joined the practice last July Getty Stock Images

When explaining workplace bullying, the National Bullying Helpline described it as when someone is subjected to ongoing emotional or physical mistreatment. These behaviors can take many forms, and even gestures like eye-rolls can fall under this if they are repeated and harmful.

"The workplace bully deliberately manipulates, belittles, intimidates and tries to control or undermine their victim using any means available to them."

"In this digital age, the workplace bully's playground has now extended to cyberbullying with the use of email, mobile phones and social media sites like Twitter (X) or Facebook," they added, pointing out how bullying has now extended into the online space, with email, mobile phones, and social media providing new platforms for such harmful behavior.

"Bullying at work and anti social behaviour resulting in stress, is a fact of life for too many workers in the UK but your employer has a 'Duty of Care' to provide a safe and stress-free place of work for all staff."