Landmark ruling says employers can be sued for denying agoraphobic staff the chance to work from home

May 20, 2026 · 11:19 AM UTC ·5 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 29 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

A recent tribunal ruling has established that employers can face legal action for denying agoraphobic employees the opportunity to work from home. The case involved Marina Dudding, who successfully sued her employer for disability discrimination after being required to return to the office. This landmark decision highlights the need for accommodations for employees with anxiety disorders under UK employment law.

Key facts

▪Employers can be sued for discrimination if they deny employees with agoraphobia the option to work from home.
▪The ruling came after Marina Dudding was prohibited from working remotely two days a week upon her return from sick leave.
▪The tribunal found that compelling individuals with agoraphobia to attend the office may constitute disability discrimination.

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Record

Original publisher	The Independent
Canonical URL	https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/work-from-home-jobs-agoraphobia-b2980297.html
Publication time	Wed, 20 May 2026 11:19:21 GMT
Retrieval time	2026-05-20T11:35:02.440Z
Last seen	2026-05-20T11:35:02.440Z
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Substitutes article?	No — link-out required for full text

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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

NewsUKHome NewsLandmark ruling says employers can be sued for denying agoraphobic staff the chance to work from homeMaking people with the anxiety disorder go to the office may constitute disability discriminationWill Rogers Wednesday 20 May 2026 12:19 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2980297","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/work-from-home-jobs-agoraphobia-b2980297.html","title":"Employers can be sued for denying agoraphobic staff the chance to work from home"}}Emma Grede says working from home can harm your career on Keke…

Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Independent.

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