Tribunal Awards Mr. Reeves £1.45 Million Against Goldman Sachs Over Parental Leave Discrimination
Updated
Updated · The HR Director Magazine · Aug 9
Tribunal Awards Mr. Reeves £1.45 Million Against Goldman Sachs Over Parental Leave Discrimination
1 articles · Updated · The HR Director Magazine · Aug 9
Summary
About £1.45 million was awarded to former Goldman Sachs executive J Reeves after a UK Employment Tribunal found he was unfairly dismissed and directly discriminated against for taking six months of contractual parental leave.
The tribunal said Reeves was sidelined before and during leave—removed from meetings and org charts, labeled an underperformer despite strong reviews, and given a 5% pay cut—before becoming the only person in his area selected for redundancy.
In the redundancy process, the tribunal found consultation was not genuine, selection was not fair, and alternative roles were not properly considered, making the September 2022 dismissal procedurally unfair.
The ruling also held that stereotypical assumptions about fathers' childcare responsibilities drove the treatment, concluding a hypothetical female employee taking equivalent leave would not have been treated the same way.
Although unfair-dismissal compensation was cut 50% under the Polkey principle, the tribunal left discrimination damages intact and assessed future losses over 8 years, citing stigma from the dismissal that hindered Reeves from securing permanent roles.