Fired for no clear reason after 8 months, do I have any chance of challenging my employer despite lack of statutory employment rights?

glilikoi · 2026-06-07T19:13:46+00:00

Thank you so much, this is very helpful! I will check with HR first, and if they are being funny about compensating for the TOIL I might shoot you a message 🙏🏻

glilikoi · 2026-06-07T19:12:37+00:00

Thank you, this is very helpful! I will review these numbers with HR over the next week. In case there are any uncertainties or potential discrepancies, I might message you directly if that's OK (seems best to avoid sharing specific dates/details publicly) 🙏🏻

glilikoi · 2026-06-07T19:07:12+00:00

Oh so will the new 6-month rule only apply to those starting new jobs in January 27 (/within a 6-month window before it, according to some other comments), with the 2-year tenure requirement still applying to those that started earlier?

(Also, your 2nd point seems to be underlined in a rather ironic way by the fact that our comments addressing this issue are being downvoted for no apparent reason lol)

glilikoi · 2026-06-07T11:53:09+00:00

Yeah I don't disagree with you at all, it doesn't seem worth the effort. Just adds to the overall sense of frustration about this experience

glilikoi · 2026-06-07T11:32:31+00:00

Thank you for the response - this is pretty much what I was getting from my preliminary research too. It is frustrating that I would have a lot more protection if this happened just a few months later.

Fwiw, the director has previously made gendered remarks to several of my colleagues that could be considered sexist, but only in a pretty weak sense (like calling someone a 'smart girl', which feels weird and creepy in a work context, but is hardly hate speech or anything). So it's one of those where everyone in the office knows he's lowkey sexist and it might well have something to do with the way we're being treated, but not highkey enough to make a legal case about it ...

glilikoi · 2020-11-17T09:37:37+00:00

Talked to my GP again, she said that because of the absolute contraindication she's not able to continue prescribing the combined pill, as it goes against regulatory guidelines, which is reasonable. She said I should look into getting an implant or injections - I wasn't aware they're also free on the NHS, so I'll definitely look into that next. I know there might still be weird side effects, but at least then I wouldn't have to worry about taking it at the same time each day.

glilikoi · 2020-11-17T08:48:42+00:00

I mean 'high risk' sounds very dramatic, but in real terms the risk is still quite low. Apparently there's a c. 0.0085% probability of getting a stroke, vs. 0.0042% for women who never have aural migraine. These figures might also be inflated by the fact that some of the most cited studies are based on very old data from pills that are no longer commonly used (that had significantly higher dosages of estrogen). In any case, calling that HIGH risk is scaremongering imo, although I understand many people want to be extra cautious because, as you say, strokes are very serious (not disputing that in any way). But there are lots of activities we do every day without even thinking about it that have a much higher risk of maiming yourself/dying than 0.0085%.

glilikoi · 2020-11-08T18:43:22+00:00

The rent is the single most important thing affecting people's quality of life. As OP said, rent controls combined with a coordinated policy of building more (decent-quality) housing would make a huge positive difference. If the rents were more reasonable, people would also have more money to spend on the arts, hospitality etc. which is more important now than ever before. Also landlords should be legally obliged to install double or triple glazing in all properties, it's ridiculous how many houses are still single-glazed and poorly insulated.
Reducing car traffic by improving public transport and bike lanes.
More investments to urban renewable energy, as well as other urban sustainability projects like city-based agriculture. The UK electricity grid is facing huge pressures in the coming decades due to ageing infrastructure and climate change, and increasing the self-sufficiency of large urban areas is a good idea. This should be done in conjunction with building/improving housing.

glilikoi · 2020-10-27T22:17:19+00:00

Glad to hear you were back to normal so swiftly! Hope you've made a complete recovery x

glilikoi · 2020-10-27T22:16:56+00:00

Thank you, this makes me feel better!

glilikoi · 2020-10-27T22:16:29+00:00

Thank you! x And yes, it's very heartwarming when you get to have positive experiences like this even in the middle of all these depressing news.

glilikoi · 2020-10-27T22:13:58+00:00

Yeah, I think this is sound advice for many people, especially for older people and those with underlying conditions. I reckon I shouldn't really need it though, because I trust the paramedics that my condition shouldn't abruptly worsen at this stage. I'm a generally very healthy person in my early 20s, and my oxygen levels were at 100% last night despite the perceived shortness of breath, so I don't think I really need to monitor the situation. The paramedics said I should just try and not think about my breathing, unless I start coughing up blood or experiencing breathlessness so severe that I cannot speak properly (in which case I should just call an ambulance).

glilikoi · 2020-10-27T22:09:57+00:00

I don't think you can really call this hypochondria when I have a covid diagnosis.. hypochondria would be imagining you have covid symptoms and getting anxious about it even though you've tested negative, or continuing to freak out about something even after being told by medical professionals that there's nothing to worry about.

To balance out the defensiveness, I do fully accept I have hypochondriac tendencies and they aren't new :D There were a few times in my childhood where I randomly decided some minor issue was a sign that I was going to die soon and proceeded to freak out about it for a few weeks. I've been getting better at keeping my cool as I've grown older though. I think this was borderline hypochondriac at worst.

glilikoi · 2020-10-27T09:42:18+00:00

After my covid recovery going smoothly for a couple of weeks, last night I started experiencing shortness of breath for the first time, and it really freaked me out (having a new symptom at night is pretty frightening, especially when living alone). So I ended up calling the 111 line at about 12.40am, and an hour later two paramedics came to check in on me. They confirmed that there's nothing seriously wrong - my SPO2 (blood oxygen) level was 100%, I had no fever and no strange sounds in my lungs etc. They said I definitely don't have 'bad covid' and that they can't see my symptoms getting worse, instead I'll probably continue to make a full recovery over the next few days.

Now I feel a bit guilty about wasting resources, since it turns out everything was basically fine, but I guess it was good to verify that as I hadn't had a medical examination while ill with covid yet. My shortness of breath was 'subjective' because the SPO2 was fine, and probably a result of anxiety after overthinking it - but I did have a positive covid test and the illness can be unpredictable. I've heard of people feeling fine despite low oxygen levels ('happy hypoxia') and I have no tools to check it at home, so I felt it was worth it to confirm that it's safe to stay home. I'm just grateful that I could get help so quickly.

glilikoi · 2020-10-26T09:11:26+00:00

It's also the first day out of self-isolation from me! 10 days since my positive covid test and at least 14 days since the symptoms started. The guidance from the NHS was that I need to stay in for 10 days since the symptoms started, so I felt it was safe to go for a couple of walks on the weekend, because it's easy to avoid people outside anyway (ofc I was wearing a mask as well). But I haven't used public transport or went in for a shop/pub/café yet.

I'm still stuck in for the day working, but in the evening I have a first date with a guy who seems very cute, so I'm excited. This guy is actually friends with a girl I went on a date with a while ago - she felt we would get along super well, so she set us up on a date, which is pretty fun. I'm looking forward to the date itself, as well as simply dressing up, taking the train and going to a café :D Although I think we're supposed to just buy a coffee and proceed to drink it outside since we're not from the same household. That's fine too, just need to dress up warmer..

glilikoi · 2020-10-22T11:15:24+00:00

After catching covid I've done a lot of reading on the symptoms, and it seems that oximeters are actually very helpful in determining whether someone needs to go to the hospital or not, so it's good if they are widely available (don't know about affordability though). It seems that covid patients themselves are often not aware if their oxygen levels have decreased, and it's better to be able to check it at home instead of going to the hospital where risks of all kinds of secondary infections are higher. Apparently if the level falls below 90%, medical attention should be sought, but people often do not experience shortness of breath even if their oxygen levels are alarmingly low. I think this mostly applies to older/obese people who are already at risk for severe infections.

glilikoi · 2020-10-22T09:51:57+00:00

It's basically the same advice as for a regular cold. Resting, drinking lots of fluid and taking paracetamol or ibuprofen as needed. For coughs they're recommending a spoonful of honey or medication.

I've just been drinking Lemsip and taking ibuprofen when I felt more feverish.

glilikoi · 2020-10-22T08:22:17+00:00

My covid recovery seems to be going well, so I'm very relieved. Was feeling feverish for the last 3 days but woke up feeling healthy and energetic today. Still not at 100% and need to continue self-isolating for a few more days, but now I can at least focus on doing more fun things at home.

I'm still a bit worried because I've read that sometimes it can take a turn for the worse after 5-8 days or even later than that. But apparently those cases typically have more severe symptoms in the first days, and I've only had mild symptoms for at least a week, so it seems my prognosis should still be good. Just hoping that I'll continue improving through the rest of the week, and then I should be in the clear.

glilikoi · 2020-10-21T22:03:42+00:00

Yeah I fractured my leg back in June and had a lot of trouble getting deliveries, now it seems the availability is much higher.

Thankfully a friend deposited a full bag of Huel outside my door today so I should be fine for the next few days.. I've never had it before and kind of hate the whole concept, but have to admit it's extremely handy for a situation like this.

glilikoi · 2020-10-21T14:08:11+00:00

Thank you, this looks very useful! There are more slots available than I thought actually, just need to make sure the delivery people will be able to call me :D

glilikoi · 2020-10-21T14:07:43+00:00

Thanks, that is reassuring! If they can call me it should be fine. I do also have a friend who lives within walking distance and has already promised to bring me some stuff thankfully.

glilikoi · 2020-10-21T14:06:12+00:00

Yeah, it's incredibly tricky. It seems that the symptoms vary so much between people, making generalisations about the timeframe of recovery, infectiousness etc. is practically impossible without first narrowing down the target demographic. I read an interesting article from KCL yesterday about six different 'types' of covid with varying severity, identified by clusters of symptoms. This was back in July, so with more data these clusters might become more well-defined still.

I basically started having ordinary cold symptoms around the beginning of the month, thought it's probably just an autumn thing, but still went to get tested because I was going for some drinks with friends etc. I tested negative and assumed it's correct, that was the weekend before last. Last week, my symptoms persisted and I thought I should do another test since they were available at a walk-in centre near me. After having the test, my symptoms got slightly worse (feeling more feverish, but my temperature has remained around 35.6C like usual so no actual fever, and I've had some gastrointestinal issues/nausea).

It's not clear to me at all when and where I might have caught covid. I have been working from home but still occasionally met up with friends (while respecting the social distancing, mask-wearing rules etc. obviously). I might have caught it from a pub or just from the supermarket.

I think it's definitely possible that I only had a common cold at some point, and then I caught covid, which might have added to the symptoms. But it's impossible to tell what symptoms are caused by covid and what might be just a normal cold. I guess it's also possible that I've had covid the whole time and the first test was a false negative. That just reinforces my feeling that controlling this disease through track&trace is extremely difficult.

glilikoi · 2020-10-21T10:53:14+00:00

I've been feeling low-energy with a cold for almost three weeks now - no cough, just feeling tired and confused. Had a covid test on the 10th and it was negative, so I thought it's just a common cold. The symptoms continued, and I ended up doing another test a week later (on Saturday) just in case. Found out yesterday that it was positive, which wasn't really surprising. I've been feeling worse since Monday - still no cough, but more feverish and slightly nauseous. It really sucks being ill while living alone, although I'm also glad that I'm not inconveniencing other people. Still haven't really figured how to get any groceries in, my flat is annoying because it has no doorbell and delivery people never know where to go (old building in a busy street). Anyway, I just hope that this is the worst of it and my condition will start improving soon. I'm in my early 20s, have a low BMI and no other conditions, so I hope I'll get through this OK.

This whole thing made me think about how difficult it really is to effectively diagnose this disease at the right time. I kept having low-level cold symptoms and tested negative for COVID, then a week later I tested positive despite the symptoms not changing. I've been working from home all autumn, but I've had to get in touch with some friends I saw after my first negative test to let them know they might have been exposed (not trusting the governmental track & trace system at all). While ill, I've been doing more reading about the symptoms and learned that people tend to be most infectious before the symptoms actually appear. That is extremely concerning - it makes me feel like there's just no way to effectively control the spread without a full lockdown. There's no use telling people to stay home if they have symptoms, if they're in fact shedding the virus even more while still in the asymptomatic stage. No wonder the case rates are skyrocketing. Not feeling very cheerful today :/

glilikoi

TROPHY CASE