UK sales boss wins £61,419 unfair dismissal ruling after working from Egypt

An employment tribunal in Birmingham has awarded Tanveer Shah £61,419 in compensation after ruling his dismissal from Food Hub was unfair. Shah, who rose to UK Field Sales Manager, was sacked in August 2022 after bosses learned he had been working remotely from Egypt for several weeks.

Shah joined Food Hub as a Field Sales Executive and was promoted to UK Field Sales Manager by the summer of 2021. By early 2022, reviews raised concerns that he was not spending enough time in the field, prompting a decision to extend his trial. A different line manager took over, and it was during this period that his presence in Egypt was discovered. Evidence suggested the Egypt stay lasted several weeks and occurred outside any authorised leave. Shah told investigators he had been in Egypt on holiday and that a Covid infection prevented his return to the UK.

In February, the company changed its policy from providing a company vehicle to giving a car allowance. Shah was told he should have his own vehicle and to spend four to five days a week in the field. He did eventually buy a car, in August, but the CEO Ardian Mula later learned that his expenses were lower than those of other staff and dismissed him on the spot. Shah appealed the decision and was reinstated, but a disciplinary process followed. He acknowledged that he had been instructed to spend substantial time in the field, while arguing the change represented a shift in his role and that the process had not been followed properly.

Employment Judge David Maxwell noted that Shah could not say exactly how long he had been in Egypt and observed a "surprising gap" in his memory. He found there were fundamental flaws in the investigation into Shah's conduct and said a business partner had recognized the initial dismissal by Food Hub would likely be found unfair and created a process that appeared fair but aimed to achieve the same result. Other claims Shah raised were dismissed.