Ignoring your appeal against dismissal can make it unfair, even with good reason.
“Unfair dismissalA legal claim you can bring if your employer dismissed you without a fair reason or without following a fair process. You normally need two years of continuous employment to qualify, though some dismi... succeeded; compensation reduced 30% for contributory conductContributory conduct is blameworthy behaviour by you that a tribunal finds actually contributed to your own dismissal. It can reduce your compensation even where the dismissal itself was unfair, and u....”
If your employer never properly deals with your appeal against dismissal, that can make the dismissal unfair, even where the underlying reason for it was genuine.
- Always submit any appeal against a dismissal or disciplinary outcome in writing. Keep proof you sent it.
- If you are in a redundancyA dismissal that occurs when your employer no longer needs the work you do, either because the business is closing, a workplace is closing, or the requirement for employees to carry out that kind of w... or redeployment process at the same time as a separate disciplinary matter, ask in writing how the two connect.
- Get advice early if you think your own conduct might have contributed to what happened. It can affect your compensation even if you win.
The situation
An IT contractor working on a client account made an unauthorised change to his laptop settings while trying to fix an access problem himself, which triggered a security alert. His employer removed him from the client's project and ran two processes on him at the same time: a redundancy-style search for another role, and a separate disciplinary investigation into the security incident. The disciplinary ended in a written warningA formal sanction issued after a disciplinary process, recorded on your file for a set period. It is not a dismissal, but it can be used as a prior warning if a further disciplinary matter arises duri..., not dismissal. But when no alternative role could be found after months of searching, his employer dismissed him, and never dealt with his appeal against that dismissal.
What the tribunal found
The tribunal found he had been unfairly dismissed under section 98 of the Employment Rights Act 1996The primary piece of legislation setting out employees rights in the UK, including the right not to be unfairly dismissed, the right to a written statement of employment particulars, and rights relati.... It accepted that the employer's stated reason for dismissal, being unable to find him another role, was genuine. But it found the process fell outside what a reasonable employer would do. It ran the redeploymentMoving you into a different role with your employer instead of dismissing you, usually considered when your original job is no longer possible because of ill health or disability. It should be offered... search and the disciplinary process alongside each other without ever explaining how the two connected. It changed timelines without warning. And it never dealt with his internal appeal. His own conduct, the unauthorised laptop changes and his slow response to requests, reduced his compensation by 30 per cent.
Vigil v Tata Consultancy Services Limited. Case 2302668/2024. London South Employment Tribunal. June 2026.