The manager of a small hotel was fired after inebriated reviews on Tripadvisor compared her to the television show Shameless without the intelligence.
At an employment tribunal hearing, Donna Griffiths was informed that while in charge, she was accused of ‘vulgar,’ ‘horrible,’ and ‘disgraceful’ behavior against staff and visitors of the Oxfordshire Barrington Arms.
One guest compared the motel to the Channel Four television program Shameless, but without the intelligence.
On Wednesday, December 14, she sued the owners for wrongful termination and won on a technicality.
The judge concluded that she will receive no compensation since her “unacceptable and culpable” behavior contributed to her termination.
Donna Griffiths was accused of ‘vulgar,’ ‘horrible,’ and ‘disgraceful’ behavior toward the staff and visitors at the Barrington Arms in Oxfordshire.
She sued the Cotswolds hotel owners for wrongful termination and won on a technicality, but the judge ruled that she would not receive compensation.
In 2017, Donna assumed management of the cozy and comfortable Barrington Arms in the Vale of White Horse in the Cotswolds.
The tribunal heard that her August departure was the result of an alleged drunken assault on a client and a police officer at the hotel, which capped her three-year reign.
The Bristol hearing was informed that Ms. Griffiths’ behavior came to light in 2020 when she was put in sole command of the hotel in the Oxfordshire village of Shrivenham during a lockdown.
The tribunal heard that the firm owner, Peter Saunders, was ‘weak’ and isolated at home with his wife throughout the pandemic due to his advanced age.
On August 4, Ms. Griffiths took the ‘afternoon off’ to go to a different pub with the hotel’s chef to ‘have a few drinks and unwind,’ according to testimony presented at the trial.
The ‘vulgar’ behavior of Donna prompted customers to leave unfavorable reviews on Tripadvisor. One person compared her behavior to the Channel 4 television series “Shameless,” but without the intelligence.
She left the hotel in the care of a ‘friend’ who she claimed had training in hospitality, but Mr. Saunders was unfamiliar with them.
The tribunal was informed that Ms. Griffiths and the chef returned to the pub to deal with “difficult” clients who were refusing to leave after receiving a call from a friend.
Ms. Griffiths told the tribunal that one customer grabbed her arm after she asked them to leave, and she pushed him away.
The cops arrived shortly thereafter and arrested both her and the chef on suspicion of assault.
She acknowledged that she may have raised her voice during the arrest, but denied assaulting the police officer.
Then, Mr. Saunders arrived at the hotel for the first time since the outbreak and discovered a “confusing situation.”
He reviewed the surveillance footage and called to the police, pleading with them to release the two employees because they had been performing their duties in a “tough scenario.”
Peter then filed a police report, “obviously backing” Ms. Griffiths.
After being shown the police record, he altered his mind and issued Ms. Griffiths a written warning for being intoxicated at work.
He wrote, “I’m still perplexed as to why you opted to leave the hotel on a workday during an exceptional crisis in order to go on a drinking binge at another bar.”
It suggests that your drinking is completely out of control. I’ve also received allegations of your aggressive behavior towards some of our clients when under the influence of alcohol.
“I must warn you that if you are caught getting intoxicated while in charge of the hotel, you will be terminated immediately for gross misconduct.”
The court heard that shortly thereafter, Mr. Saunders’ daughter showed him the hotel’s Tripadvisor evaluations.
The assessments of Ms. Griffiths were quite harsh, calling her behavior “vulgar” and “disgraceful.”
One review compared her to the Channel 4 comedy series Shameless, which follows the wild Gallagher family, but “without the intellect.”
A review stated, “I’ve never seen a manager be that crude and downright repulsive! Clearly, the alcohol consumption of this woman had an effect on her speech.
The manner in which staff members were addressed was terrible.
Someone else remarked, “We witnessed a couple folks drinking while being pretty loud.” The manager/landlord was a woman who regularly reminded her employees that “she was the boss.”
We attempted to ignore her behavior, but as the evening progressed, she grew louder and ruder, and then abruptly began yelling at one of the men she was seated with.
A third remarked, “Avoid * like Shameless without the intellect” and mentioned that the tavern is no longer “a popular destination for many locals.”
They said that it is frequently “either vacant (surprise!) or full with loud, profane, and foul-mouthed customers headed by the landlady herself.”
Mr. Saunders explained to the tribunal that he was troubled by the unfavorable reviews, as well as the events of 4 August and the police report, and thus decided to investigate the claimant’s conduct as manager.
As part of this investigation, a staff member revealed to Mr. Saunders that she frequently added lemonade to Ms. Griffiths’ drink in an effort to slow her down. However, Ms. Griffiths would occasionally get “funny” with customers and “scream NO!” when they entered.
The employee stated that on a Sunday evening, there were £3,000 in outstanding bar tabs, and she declined to work that shift because she couldn’t “handle the drama.”
Mister Saunders invited Ms. Griffiths to a meeting on 30 December 2020, during which she was terminated.
He did not inform her in advance that the meeting was a disciplinary one, that her career was at stake, or the results of his inquiry into her conduct.
As a result, the tribunal decided that she was terminated unfairly, as this was a “fundamental” failure and she “never had a chance” to respond to the claims against her.
She did not receive any compensation. Employment Judge Adrian Hogarth stated that her conduct “was quite likely to harm the business and its reputation.”
The incident involved drunkenly offensive behavior on the grounds. Whether or whether she was on duty or acting as manager or a person in charge at the time, the manager of a hotel and pub exhibited improper and culpable behavior.
The management of a hotel should not greet patrons while intoxicated and cursing at them. This behavior contributed to her termination.
Ms. Griffiths was awarded $1,076 for Mr. Saunders’ failure to present her with a valid employment contract.