In a powerful reminder of the importance of process, communication, and compassion, a senior recruiter has been awarded nearly £188,000 after being unfairly dismissed and discriminated against following a serious health crisis.
What happened?
Darron Blewitt, a senior regional director at Mach Recruitment and self-described “workaholic,” suffered a cardiac arrest in 2020, which caused a hypoxic brain injury. This left him with lasting effects on memory, cognition, anxiety, and fatigue. He returned to work in October 2020 right in the midst of post-Covid operational upheaval.
Instead of receiving structured support, Blewitt was reportedly “left to his own devices.” Meetings were cancelled, communication dropped off, and crucial Occupational Health recommendations were ignored. No adjustments were made.
By September 2022, he was dismissed.
The reason? Initially framed as redundancy. Then, ill-health. Either way, there was:
- No formal process
- No consultation
- No written confirmation of dismissal
- No documented rationale or capability review
Why did the tribunal rule in his favour?
Employment Judge Roger Tynan found that Blewitt had been treated as an “inconvenience” and that Mach Recruitment’s managers had made stereotypical assumptions about his ability to perform.
The employer had:
- Ignored Occupational Health advice
- Failed to make reasonable adjustments
- Kept no meeting records or documentation
- Skipped any kind of structured performance or dismissal process
Key Lessons:
- Engage with Occupational Health
- Act on and document all OH advice
- Don’t treat referrals as optional
- Communicate consistently
- Regular check-ins, even informal, build trust and show you’re engaged
- Follow proper procedure
- Consult before dismissal
- Maintain written records and formal documentation
- Consider and implement reasonable adjustments
- Don’t guess—ask the employee and use OH to guide options
- Document everything
- Emails, notes, meeting summaries all of it matters in a tribunal
Ignoring the basics especially when health and disability are involved isn’t just poor practice. It’s costly.