"It felt like I had someone holding my hand"
Time Health Ltd
Peninsula carried out tribunal preparations on behalf of the business
Medium business
Manufacturing
Time Health is a family-run health supplement business in East Sussex, founded in 2016 by Carl Jenkins from the spare bedroom of his home. Their products are all made in the UK from natural ingredients and are sold around the world.
Maria Tether-Jenkins explains how Peninsula supported them through a complicated tribunal claim.
In January 2024, Amazon – Time Health’s biggest distributor at the time - stripped out 20 of their top product lines overnight. The company was faced with a huge dilemma; how could they keep the business going?
After looking at the numbers and considering all options, they realised that they needed to make two positions redundant in order to survive. Maria sought guidance from ACAS, consulted with employees and used an already existing skills and training matrix to make the decision.
It was soul destroying...
...because we cared deeply about our staff. And it's a horrible thing to go through and a horrible thing to tell people. Your jobs are at risk.
The two employees appealed the redundancy decision. Maria was then contacted by ACAS about a reconciliation process, and six weeks later, received a tribunal claim for £170,000. An amount that would have crippled the business financially.
Initially four claims were brought against the company for marriage discrimination, breach of contract, disability discrimination and holiday pay. Later four other claims were filed for unfair dismissal, bullying, harassment and intimidation.
While Maria knew there was no merit to the claims as she had sought correct advice and done everything by the book, she was stunned to find that this was not enough. The stress and worry of the pending tribunal and what the company may be faced with if they lost the case was making her ill, so she turned again to ACAS to ask for help.
And they referred her to Peninsula.
When Peninsula came on board...
...although it was still a stressful situation, they took the lion's share off me and managed it for me... I felt like somebody wanted to help for the first time because it was all on my shoulders up until that point, and I felt relieved… It felt like I had someone holding my hand
Peninsula provided unlimited advice and support throughout the process of preparing for the tribunal hearing. The legal team got to work, going through all the information Maria provided preparing a defence bundle, guiding her through how to prepare witness statements and evidence.
Lead Litigation Consultant Stella English was assigned to the case, giving Maria confidence as the tribunal date approached. The entire process was explained and prepared for, from what to expect on the witness stand to breaking down legal terms into plain English.
Stella reassured Maria and the other employees who would be giving evidence, taking the weight off their shoulders and relieving some of the pressure they had felt.
It's amazing to see...
...and not the usual service that you might get from someone that offers this as a service to companies
After a four-day tribunal hearing, the judge found in Time Health’s favour. All eight claims were dismissed.
Maria’s health recovered and the company continues to go from strength to strength.
I can see a future...
...I thought, if this doesn't go well, I don't see how I can carry on. But it did, and I'm so grateful to Peninsula
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