Civil Servant Sues Scottish Agency Over Work-From-Home Denial

A civil servant employed by a Scottish Government agency has initiated legal proceedings over the denial of his work-from-home request. John-Paul Pryce, who suffers from germaphobia, is pursuing a claim of disability discrimination against his employer.

Pryce worked as an administrative case officer in the Debt Arrangement Scheme department for 13 years before the Covid-19 pandemic. The Debt Arrangement Scheme is a unique debt management tool in Scotland, designed to help individuals manage their financial obligations.

In March 2020, Pryce contracted a severe case of Covid-19, which he believed was life-threatening. This experience significantly impacted his mental health, leading to the development of severe anxiety and germaphobia, also known as mysophobia. Mysophobia is characterized by an irrational fear of contamination and germs, affecting approximately 7% of the population who suffer from social anxiety disorder.

Following the pandemic-induced remote work period, Pryce's employer requested his return to the office in 2022. In response, he submitted a flexible working request, citing his newly developed phobias. However, the agency rejected his appeal.

In an email to the HR department in May 2022, Pryce expressed his preference for remote work, stating:

"I have no distractions of background noise, do not need to try and feign interest in what other people did with their weekend or watched on TV the previous night etc. There is no work task which I cannot do far better without the distractions of a toxic, open-plan work environment."

[[John-Paul Pryce's email to HR]]

Pryce's GP provided a provisional diagnosis of social anxiety and mysophobia, noting that the patient had not attended the practice in person since September 2018. The doctor observed that Pryce's symptoms and beliefs had worsened since the outbreak of the pandemic, which was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020.

The case has now reached an employment tribunal, where Judge James Hendry ruled in favor of Pryce in the preliminary hearing. The judge determined that the claimant could be classified as disabled under equality laws, specifically the Equality Act 2010, which protects individuals from discrimination in the workplace and wider society.

In his ruling, Judge Hendry noted Pryce's isolated lifestyle, stating, "The claimant lives a very isolated life. His wife's evidence, which I accept, is that this has become progressively worse over the last two years. He seldom ventures from the house."

The judge recommended that Pryce seek counseling services, potentially including cognitive-behavioral therapy, which is often recommended for treating phobias and anxiety disorders.

This case highlights the ongoing debate about workplace flexibility in the post-pandemic era and the importance of reasonable adjustments for employees with disabilities. As remote work continues to be a contentious issue, employers and employees alike must navigate the complex landscape of workplace rights and accommodations.