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A woman has won almost £30,000 in an employment tribunal after she was compared to Darth Vader by her co-worker.
NHS blood donation worker Lorna Rooke brought a complaint against her co-worker, who had taken a Star Wars-themed online personality test on her behalf and told colleagues that Ms Rooke fell into Darth Vader’s category.
A judge ruled that being told you have the same personality type as the infamous villain is a workplace “detriment”, meaning harm or negative impact experienced by a person.
“Darth Vader is a legendary villain of the Star Wars series, and being aligned with his personality is insulting,” employment judge Kathryn Ramsden said.
The tribunal found that the claimant not only found the comparison the be detrimental, but that it was reasonable for her to find it so, dismissing the co-worker’s argument that there were positive attributes to Darth Vader.
Ms Rooke claimed that she was made to feel unpopular when her colleague compared her to the Star Wars villain and was one of the reasons she resigned the following month.
The judge ruled that the outcome of the online quiz reflected the co-worker’s perception of Ms Rooke, which was then shared in a group environment. The judge said: “It is little wonder that the claimant was upset by it.”
The tribunal, held in Croydon, London, heard that Ms Rooke began working for the NHS Blood and Transplant service as a training and practice supervisor in 2003.
In August 2021 members of her team took a Star Wars themed Myers-Briggs questionnaire as a team-building exercise.
The Myers-Brigg Type Indicator sorts people into 16 personality categories based on levels of introversion and extroversion, whether they are led by thoughts or feelings and how they judge or perceive the world around them. While widely regarded as pseudoscientific, it has become influential, even being used by some companies to hire employees.
Ms Rooke did not participate as she had to take a personal phone call. When she returned, her colleague Amander Harber had filled out the test on her behalf and announced she had the same personality as the Star Wars villain.
In the Star Wars universe, Vader - real name Anakin Skywalker - is a half-human half-machine villain who gives into the “dark side of the force” as he seeks victory over his son, Luke Skywalker and the Rebel Alliance.
In the context of this personality test, the Darth Vader category was described as a “very focused individual” who could bring teams together.
The tribunal rejected Ms Rooke’s claim that the “Darth Vader incident” had prompted her to leave, but did find it counted as a “detriment”. She won the case for detriment after a protected disclosure but lost claims for unfair dismissal, disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments.
She was awarded £28,989.61 in compensation.
An NHSBT spokesperson said:“We acknowledge the outcome of the tribunal. We are committed to maintaining and continually improving a respectful and inclusive workplace for all colleagues.”
English (US) ·