Ms Erin Phairs v Represented by: Mr B Dawes - Trade Union Representative The Secretary of State for the Home Department — 2026

The claimant worked for the respondent as an Executive Officer and had disabilities accepted by the respondent for the purposes of s.6 Equality Act. The hearing concerned allegations that the respondent failed to make reasonable adjustments by not allowing short-notice home working when health conditions made office attendance difficult, and by not allowing remote working without an office attendance requirement.

The tribunal found that the claimant already had substantial adjustments, including working in the office only 3 out of 8 days per fortnight and other workplace adjustments. It concluded that allowing the claimant to work from home as much as she wanted would not be a reasonable adjustment because it would require short-notice changes to workload and rostering, and that the hybrid working policy had in effect already been disapplied sufficiently to remove the substantial disadvantage.

The tribunal also found that the claims were presented out of time because the claimant knew on 13 March 2025 that her application for reasonable adjustments had been denied but did not start ACAS early conciliation until 19 June 2025. It found no basis to extend time on a just and equitable basis, and stated that the claims lacked merit in any event.