Ex-accenture executive sues for ‘shaming’ him when ill

Top fee-earning Briton, Peter Lacy, alleges he was mistreated before losing his job in an ‘ambushing’

A BRITISH former executive at consulting giant Accenture has claimed he was “belittled and shamed” by colleagues because of mental health issues including depression.

Peter Lacy, who was formerly chief responsibility officer at the multinational, has filed an employment tribunal claim against the company, as well as its Us-based chief executive Julie Sweet, claiming he was “frozen out of meetings” and mistreated before losing his job in an “ambushing”.

Mr Lacy suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress and depression.

He has accused Accenture, which had revenues of $64bn (£51bn) last year, of unfairly targeting him because of his conditions.

Accenture has strenuously denied all of the allegations made by Peter Lacy and is contesting the case at trial. It said: “The redundancy dismissal of Peter Lacy took place in the context of the publicly disclosed global business optimisation actions that impacted 19,000 of our workforce.”

Mr Lacy, 45, was one of the accounting giant’s top fee-earners before he was dismissed last year. His lawyers claim that he considered his ADHD a “superpower” that was “integral to his success and that of Accenture as his employer who reaped the benefits”.

However, in the 18 months before his dismissal, his symptoms were exacerbated and he needed extra help. Rather than be granted such support, Mr Lacy alleges that he faced “adverse treatment” and was belittled “sometimes publicly” by staff, including Ms Sweet.

Mr Lacy is claiming unfair dismissal and disability discrimination, according to legal documents made public yesterday. The documents claim: “Rather than provide [Mr Lacy] with the support he required during this time and live up to [Accenture’s] rhetoric around health, well-being and catering for the needs of their neurodiverse workforce, [Mr Lacy] was frozen out of meetings, belittled (sometimes publicly) by senior staff such as Ms Sweet and Ms [Ellyn] Shook [Accenture’s HR chief], and shamed.”

This allegedly culminated in an “ambushing” where Mr Lacy was dismissed. “This decision was a fait accompli with no form of redundancy exercise at all.”

Accenture’s lawyers have argued that it had to make significant cost savings last year, including a streamlining of leadership positions.

Mr Lacy’s seniority meant management wanted to speak to him directly about the loss of his position rather than include him in a collective redundancy exercise, according to court documents.

Mr Lacy, who graduated from the University of Nottingham, worked at Accenture for more than 15 years and was one of the company’s highest paid employees, with a total package of around £4.3m in the year before he left.

The company argues that he was dismissed for fair reason and that his claims for disability discrimination and victimisation are “without merit”.

The case is going to a full trial next year. An Accenture spokesman said: “We are pleased that the tribunal agreed with Accenture that this is a case that should be decided at a full trial. We have no further comment.”

A recent surge in diagnosis of mental and physical conditions has led to a growing focus on how staff with these conditions are treated at work.

ADHD and autism referrals have risen fivefold since the pandemic.

City law firms including Norton Rose Fulbright have begun offering in-office diagnostic services for staff as ballooning NHS waiting lists leave people struggling to access support.

‘Mr Lacy was frozen out of meetings, belittled, sometimes publicly by senior staff, and shamed’