Young chatty workers disturbing older colleagues not age harassment', tribunal rules

An employment tribunal ruled that older employees disturbed by younger colleagues are not victims of age harassment. Catherine Ritchie, an administrator in her late 60s, claimed her younger co-workers' noisy fun hindered her productivity. The tribunal found that while Ritchie considered the workplace distracting and unprofessional due to social conversations, the younger employees were not violating workplace equality rules. Ritchie stated that their behavior led to headaches and a lack of respect for her requests for quiet, but her experiences did not constitute harassment.

Ritchie found the office a very noisy environment, distracting her while trying to make calls. She indicated unprofessionalism of colleagues engaging in personal conversations.

Ritchie experienced issues with younger colleagues' noisy behavior, leading to a pounding headache and difficulty communicating. She felt this was distracting for her work.

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