A saleswoman claims she was sacked from her job just two weeks after telling her bosses that she had suffered a miscarriage.
Megan Byrne lost her first baby last month and took two days off from work at logistical data company Transport Exchange Group to recover.
To her shock, the 25-year-old’s contract was terminated by the company just a fortnight later – she claims without any explanation.
She said that she had only ever had positive feedback and got on well with her colleagues before her ‘disgusting’ dismissal on October 26.
Ms Byrne, who lives with her boyfriend in Hillingdon, west London, is now claiming that she lost her job because her all-male team had discovered through her miscarriage that she was trying to get pregnant.
She also alleges that her bosses told her she had been overpaid in commission the month before and had to pay money back from her salary.
It is understood that Ms Byrne is seeking legal advice to explore her options, including potentially taking Transport Exchange Group to tribunal.
Megan Byrne lost her baby last month and took two days off from work at logistical data company Transport Exchange Group to recover. To her shock, the 25-year-old’s contract was terminated a fortnight later – apparently without any explanation
She said: ‘On the October 11, I suffered a miscarriage.
‘I took two days off but came back to work on the Wednesday, simply because of anxiety, I wanted to let my team know I was still there, even though my performance wouldn’t be as good.
‘It was a traumatic time mentally as well. I told them on the Monday that I couldn’t come in because I was in a lot of pain.
‘I worked in a male dominated office so I didn’t feel comfortable telling my colleagues what had happened specifically but I did tell the HR officers and sent them my documentation.
She said that she had only ever had positive feedback and got on well with her colleagues before her dismissal on October 26
‘They said not to worry and that they would be there for me. I then did a whole week of work and even worked at the weekend.
‘On October 26, I got a call from HR who simply fired me then and there with no reason.
‘I thought after everything I’d been through, there was no support at all. My performance was down because I was suffering the loss of a child.
‘I would start work at 8am and I got the call at twenty to nine. I had already been logged out of all the systems.
‘It’s been very hard for me.’
On top of the sacking, she was told she had been overpaid in commission and needed to pay the company back.
She first spotted an overpayment two days before the money hit her account and raised it with HR immediately. They responded that it was correct and had nothing to worry about.
Ms Byrne claims that when she pushed them for a reason behind the sacking, she was simply told only that she was ‘no longer required for the business.’ She says that one week earlier, she was told she was doing well.
Throughout the year, she even trained new members of staff at the company, based in Harrow, which has up to 70 employees.
Ms Byrne said that in the whole organisation there were only five other women and only one was in a managerial position.
She added: ‘I was doing really well for the company, I was bringing in revenue and they’ve really done me over.
‘I don’t respect it, especially in this climate. I could understand if I had done something wrong. It’s despicable really.
‘I have had to sign on job seekers allowance and I have bills to pay. How they can treat people so heartlessly, I just think it is disgusting.’
She shared conversations between herself and her manager who told her he was impressed with her ‘high standard’ of work.
Ms Byrne is now claiming that she lost her job because her all-male team had discovered through her miscarriage that she and her partner were trying for a baby
To make matters worse, immediately after she was fired, her colleagues were sent an email stating she had left the company, giving her no time to appeal.
In a letter to Ms Byrne dated November 10, Head of HR Zemina Calder wrote to say she felt she should have appealed the firing.
She wrote: ‘For your information, I say this bearing in mind the issues you have mentioned in respect of your miscarriage.
‘Whilst this played no active part in the decision to end your employment, I took the view that it would perhaps have gone some way to explaining issues evident at work and I felt that in those circumstances, appealing the decision would have been something that may well have altered the decision.’
She went on to wish her the very best for the future before signing off.
Ms Byrne has now landed a new role as an account manager in another company, which she will begin in December.
The Transport Exchange Group has been contacted for comment.