Receptionist With 'inability To Say' Her Law Firm's Name Loses Employment Tribunal

A woman talking on a phone.tomazl/ Getty ImagesA receptionist who was said to have been unable to say her firm's name lost an employment tribunal.The claimant said she had lost her job due to a disability, not due to performance issues.The panel found that she did not meet the statutory definition of a disability.A receptionist in the UK who could not say the name of her law firm has lost an employment tribunal claim.The claimant, named in the case documents as Miss J Earle, briefly worked as a temporary receptionist administrator for the law firm Wykeham Hurford Sheppard & Son Ltd in 2022.Her contract was terminated at the southern England law firm just over a week into the role, with the firm saying she "could not perform the role to the required standard," citing reasons including an "inability to say the firm's name when answering the phone to clients" and repeatedly putting calls through to "fee earners directly, thereby interrupting them from their work."According to Lucy Walker Recruitment, a British company specialising in permanent and temporary office-based staff, a receptionist must communicate well."The ability to communicate information accurately, clearly, and as intended is a vital skill for a receptionist.