When the news broke that a nurse in Edinburgh had been awarded more than £25,000 after a colleague repeatedly rolled her eyes at her, many people laughed. Social media called it oversensitive. Headlines made it sound like an absurd example of political correctness gone mad. But buried beneath the clickbait is a story that touches on something far more serious than a single gesture of irritation. It is about the hidden power of disrespect, the fragility of workplace culture, and the very real human cost of ignoring small acts of hostility.
We often imagine bullying as something loud and obvious—shouting, threats, or physical intimidation. Yet in most professional environments, it rarely looks like that. It looks like silence when someone speaks. It looks like tasks deliberately left undone. It looks like an eye-roll, repeated so often it becomes a weapon of dismissal. These acts may seem harmless on their own, but when repeated, they can undermine years of experience, leave people isolated, and even push them out of their careers.
When Eye-Rolling Becomes More Than a Gesture
At first glance, the idea of someone winning tens of thousands of pounds because a colleague rolled their eyes might sound absurd, almost like a punchline rather than a serious legal outcome. But when you look closer, the case of Maureen Howieson reveals how small, seemingly insignificant gestures can carry a heavy weight when they happen repeatedly and in the context of a hostile work environment. It is not about one look of irritation or a fleeting act of rudeness, but about what happens when disrespect becomes a pattern. In the workplace, those patterns can eat away at trust, morale, and even mental health until the damage is undeniable.
Howieson, a dental nurse in Edinburgh with more than four decades of experience, had already adapted her role due to arthritis, spending more time at reception than in clinical duties. When a new colleague, Jisna Iqbal, joined the practice, tensions arose quickly. Iqbal, who was trained as a dentist overseas but not yet accredited to practice in the UK, allegedly began taking over some of Howieson’s responsibilities without discussion and, more importantly, treated her with open disdain. Rolling her eyes whenever Howieson spoke became more than a passing gesture—it was a repeated dismissal of her presence, her voice, and her value within the team. On top of this, there were reports of Iqbal refusing tasks, claiming that certain duties were beneath her. For someone who had dedicated a lifetime to the profession, this steady drip of disrespect created an environment that was not just unpleasant, but unbearable.
Eventually, the strain took a toll. In October 2024, Howieson suffered a panic attack at work, breaking down in tears, and soon afterward resigned. The tribunal that followed recognized her resignation not as a personal choice, but as the product of an unsafe workplace that failed to protect her. Judge Ronald Mackay criticized the dental practice for knowing there were ongoing issues but doing nothing to address them. In his ruling, he highlighted that the employer had breached their duty of care and allowed a hostile environment to persist unchecked. The £25,000 award was not compensation for an isolated incident of eye-rolling—it was recognition of the real psychological harm caused when disrespect is tolerated until it grows into something destructive.
The National Bullying Helpline explains that workplace bullying is not always loud or physical. More often, it is quiet, repetitive, and insidious. It can be the eye-rolls, the sighs, the refusals to cooperate, or the subtle reminders that you are not respected. These acts, when sustained, undermine confidence and create a culture where one person is diminished while another exerts control. In Howieson’s case, the tribunal made clear that such behaviors, however small they may appear individually, cannot be brushed aside as trivial. They are part of a wider culture that employers are legally and morally responsible for addressing. This story is not just about one nurse or one practice in Edinburgh—it is about the overlooked power of everyday actions and the responsibility institutions carry to ensure those actions do not spiral into abuse.
WHAAAAAT!!!! Wait…….
— 💙The Office of FAYE a ROYALIST NZ MAORI 👑💙 (@FayeArohanui) September 7, 2025
Nurse receives £25k payout after co-worker rolled his eyes at her https://t.co/j4xqfufpPy
The Hidden Weight of Microaggressions
What makes cases like this so important is that they shine a light on something many people try to dismiss: the harm of microaggressions. A single sarcastic remark, a roll of the eyes, or a dismissive sigh may not seem like much in isolation. But psychologists have long emphasized the cumulative effect of these behaviors. They are often called microaggressions because of their subtlety, yet there is nothing “micro” about the impact they can have when experienced day after day. Over time, these seemingly small slights chip away at a person’s sense of belonging, safety, and dignity, creating an environment that is toxic not because of one blow but because of the constant drip of negativity.
Research from the American Psychological Association has highlighted that repeated exposure to microaggressions can lead to stress levels comparable to those produced by overt acts of discrimination. The body responds to them in much the same way it does to more obvious threats, releasing stress hormones like cortisol that, over time, erode both physical and mental health. For employees like Howieson, who already faced the challenges of managing a long career and health issues such as arthritis, the added strain of constant dismissal can feel unbearable. It isn’t about being “too sensitive.” It’s about the human need to be respected, seen, and valued in environments where we spend a huge portion of our lives.
Microaggressions are particularly dangerous because they are easy to minimize. Colleagues may roll their eyes at complaints, telling the victim to “just ignore it” or “not take it personally.” Employers, too, sometimes view them as too trivial to address formally. But the Howieson case demonstrates that these behaviors cannot be ignored, precisely because their invisibility is what allows them to thrive. What begins as eye-rolling or dismissive body language can escalate into outright bullying or create such sustained emotional distress that a person’s ability to work and function is destroyed. Recognition of this cumulative weight is a step toward healthier workplaces where dignity isn’t treated as optional.
The Employer’s Duty of Care
Workplaces are not simply collections of individuals—they are systems. And when a system tolerates bullying, even in its most subtle forms, it signals to everyone within it that disrespect is acceptable. Employment law in the UK makes it clear that organizations have a duty of care to their employees. This means more than ensuring physical safety. It extends to protecting mental health, addressing harassment, and maintaining an environment where people can work without fear of intimidation. In Howieson’s case, the tribunal judge pointed out that the dental practice failed in this responsibility, ignoring clear signs of hostility and failing to act on complaints.
The fact that other colleagues had already flagged issues with Iqbal, the dental therapist accused of bullying, shows that the problem wasn’t hidden. Leadership knew there were concerns but chose to look the other way. When Howieson had a panic attack at work and eventually resigned, her departure was not a personal choice—it was the result of an unsafe environment the employer had allowed to fester. In legal terms, this amounted to constructive dismissal, meaning she was effectively forced out of her job. The award of £25,000 reflects both her personal suffering and the systemic failure of the practice to fulfill its obligations.
The National Bullying Helpline stresses that bullying in the workplace is never just between two individuals—it becomes a cultural problem when leadership refuses to step in. A workplace bully thrives in silence, and silence from management is a form of permission. For employees, this creates a chilling effect: if disrespect is tolerated, why speak up? If complaints go unanswered, why trust the system? Employers who neglect their duty of care may not only face legal consequences, as the Edinburgh dental practice did, but also lose the trust and morale of their teams. That erosion of trust can be far more costly than any tribunal award.
The Human Cost of Disrespect
Numbers like £25,000 or $951 million, in the case of medical negligence lawsuits, often capture headlines. They grab attention because they are dramatic, measurable, and easy to compare. But behind every figure is a deeper story of human suffering. In Howieson’s case, the cost was her peace of mind, her dignity, and ultimately her career. Years of experience and dedication were overshadowed by an environment that made her feel unwanted and disrespected. What the public sees as a payout is, for the person at the center, often the smallest part of the story. Money cannot undo panic attacks, rebuild confidence, or restore the lost years of professional fulfillment.
Disrespect in the workplace can also ripple outward. Colleagues who witness bullying may feel powerless or fearful of becoming the next target. Younger employees may learn that this is simply how things are done, normalizing toxic behavior as part of professional life. Over time, organizations that allow such cultures to persist see higher turnover, lower productivity, and a lack of genuine teamwork. The cost is not only borne by the individuals directly affected but by the health of the organization as a whole.
The example of the Edinburgh tribunal may seem small compared to massive lawsuits involving medical negligence, where families are awarded hundreds of millions after devastating mistakes. But both cases point to the same truth: harm in professional settings, whether subtle disrespect or catastrophic errors, carries immense human weight. Disrespect undermines dignity just as negligence undermines safety. In both situations, institutions that fail to uphold their responsibilities create consequences that echo long after the legal judgments are handed down.
A Call to Rethink Workplace Culture
The story of a nurse winning compensation after enduring eye-rolls is not just about one woman, one colleague, or one dental practice. It is about the larger culture we create in the spaces where we spend so much of our time. Workplaces are not neutral backdrops—they shape our mental health, our confidence, and our sense of worth. When we dismiss small acts of disrespect as trivial, we miss the opportunity to intervene before they grow into full-blown crises. The Howieson case shows how costly inaction can be, both for individuals and for the organizations that fail to act.
If workplaces are to be more than just sites of labor—if they are to be environments where people can thrive—they must take seriously the power of culture. That means training leaders to recognize bullying in all its forms, creating clear avenues for complaints to be heard, and fostering respect as a core value rather than a vague aspiration. Respect cannot be an optional add-on to workplace policies; it must be woven into the fabric of how teams operate every day.
Ultimately, this story reminds us that what may feel insignificant in a single moment can become life-changing when it is repeated over time. Eye-rolls, sighs, dismissive gestures—these are not harmless quirks but messages that say, “You don’t matter.” And when people are told they don’t matter often enough, they begin to believe it. The call to action is simple but profound: treat others with dignity, intervene when disrespect appears, and demand more from institutions that hold power over people’s lives. A healthier workplace, and a healthier society, begins with the courage to take even the smallest signs of disrespect seriously.