A woman who left her job early to attend a Bruce Springsteen concert has lost her bid for damages after an employment tribunal rejected her claims of disability and sex discrimination. Shannon McAllister, 28, was employed as an estimating assistant at Bell Building Projects before her dismissal last year.
The tribunal heard that McAllister left work early on May 13, 2025, to attend the concert without seeking permission from her line manager, Stuart Moncrieff. The manager became aware of her absence and suspected she had left to travel to the performance. McAllister's position was that a mental health specialist had advised her that attending the concert would be beneficial for her mental health.
Employment Judge Murdo Macleod, in a written ruling, stated that the tribunal could not find that McAllister was disabled as of May 13, 2025, citing a lack of clarity about her condition. The ruling noted that McAllister was described as "bright and chatty" and was able to travel to the concert on a day she claimed to be having a breakdown. The judge concluded that McAllister had exaggerated the impact of events on her at that time and was not as seriously affected as she maintained.
The tribunal also rejected McAllister's claims that bosses refused to allow her to work from home to care for her children. The judge added that even if the dismissal were related to a disability, it would have been a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim, such as ensuring appropriate work standards and maintaining client relationships. This was particularly relevant as the company had attempted to address McAllister's performance issues over several months without seeing significant improvement.