A former receptionist at an Isle of Man-based pharmaceutical company has lost her claim for sex discrimination.

Danielle Weston-Ford took a case against Kingsley Muti to the employment tribunal, claiming she was terminated from her position ‘out of nowhere and with no notice’.

She started work as receptionist at the Balthane-based company in February last year but on January 16 she was informed that her employment had been terminated with immediate effect, one of the directors citing in a prepared statement her ‘conduct and behaviour’.

The statement said she had acted in an unprofessional way and her behaviour had undermined workplace morale.

Miss Weston-Ford intially claimed for unfair dismissal, arguing that ‘no disciplinary process was given to me, no warning, nothing’.

She then amended her complaint, to claim that her dismissal was ‘gender discrimination’.

In a decision, employment tribunal chairman Douglas Stewart concluded there was no proven sex discrimination.

And because her employment had not lasted one year, the tribunal had no jurisdiction to consider her claim for alleged unfair dismissal.

Kingsley Muti had denied all liability.

The tribunal heard that until towards the end of her employment, Miss Weston-Ford was popular within the small company and was even seen as the ’glue’ who held things together.

She was described as ‘bubbly and enthusiastic’ and willing to take on tasks above and beyond the strict confines of her job description - particularly with regard to using her skills in social media.

But in December 2025, she was asked by one of the directors to create four to five social media posts a day which she considered to be overwhelming. She was also indignant when the CEO messaged her out of working hours.

Director Mark Simpson said that at the end of 2025 he was still having to fund the company, which was making losses.

Over Christmas, he had decided he was not prepared to continue providing financial support if the company were to continue making losses. He knew that 2026 was going to be the make or break year.

He said the position had been reached where, without change, the business was unsustainable and there would have to be lay-offs or the business might have to close.

Mr Simpson explained that the company was in competition with Boots and Clear Pharmacy and that the island has a limited population. His plan was to take the business on-line beyond the Isle of Man and he’d needed the skills of Miss Weston-Ford in social media to develop the campaign.

The tribunal said it was regrettable that the relationship that had started out in February 2025 on such a positive basis had gradually soured.

She’d had the capability to be an important member of the team but had behaved in a negative fashion and had been disrespectful to others working around her.

It was evident that she had ‘bad-mouthed’ her employers and had no intention of going above and beyond

The tribunal said it was satisfied that her attitude and negativity meant that such misconduct could not be tolerated.

It concluded: ‘The evidence was all one way. Gender discrimination played no part in the respondent's thinking.’