In a recent employment tribunal, all claims filed by Nathan Blakeley, a former digital marketing executive at Bubblegum Balloons in Farnborough, were dismissed. Blakeley had accused the company of unfair dismissal, age and sex discrimination, harassment, and victimisation. This decision followed a contentious series of events beginning with the company's Christmas party in November 2022, where Blakeley claimed he was overlooked for an award due to his gender.
Bubblegum Balloons, a company with a workforce predominantly of women, held its annual Christmas party with awards determined by peer votes. During the event, Director Megan Robertson introduced an award category by referring to "she" and then added "sorry boys," which Blakeley interpreted as excluding male colleagues from recognition. He later remarked on the situation, stating, "Now it’s time for the awards. Spoiler alert – it’s not going to be any of the men."
The situation escalated when Blakeley's mother, Nicola, contacted the company to express dissatisfaction with her son's treatment in what was described as an "aggressive and intimidating" manner. Consequently, the company suspended Blakeley on full pay pending an investigation into his conduct. The investigation revealed that Blakeley had allegedly provided "false information" regarding advertising sales and failed to return his work laptop for examination. This led to his dismissal for gross misconduct on March 31, 2023.
Blakeley proceeded with legal action against Bubblegum Balloons, citing various forms of discrimination and unfair treatment. However, the tribunal found no merit in his claims. Megan Robertson clarified her comments during the award ceremony: "When I read out the results for one of the award categories, I introduced it by referring to ‘she’ and then went on to say ‘sorry boys’."
The tribunal was presided over by Judge Andrew Gumbiti-Zimuto, who stated, "Taking all the circumstances as they appear to us, we do not consider that it is reasonable that the conduct complained of, namely the announcement made by Megan Robertson using the words that included the comment ‘spoiler alert’, amounted to harassment."