A former employee of the Health Insurance Authority in Dublin had been "bullied and harassed" to such an extent she had been left "absolutely emotionally exhausted," a court heard yesterday.
Joanne Hickey told Mr Justice Esmond Smyth the trouble had started about eight weeks into her new job as an executive assistant, mainly because she could not make out her boss Imelda Gallagher's handwriting.
"Her handwriting was illegible," Ms Hickey told her counsel Síle O'Kelly. "I had difficulty reading most amendments she would make to documents."
Ms Hickey (33), of Parkview Avenue, Harold's Cross, Dublin, told Dublin Circuit Civil Court that she joined the authority on probation in August 2003 and the trouble had started at the end of October. Finally after a number of work performance reviews she was told on March 19th, 2004, that the authority would not be requiring her services any longer and she was given a month's notice. "I put on my coat and left. I couldn't go back," Ms Hickey said. "I was absolutely emotionally exhausted and went to my doctor."
Cross-examined by Marguerite Bolger, counsel for the authority, she said she had been given the job contrary to a doctor's opinion following a medical. The court was told she regularly made typographical errors in documents.
Psychologist Trevor Rufli said Ms Hickey had felt "picked on," criticised, set unrealistic work targets, devalued and degraded.
The hearing continues.