Going to see 'The Boss' led to sack... Woman loses tribunal after leaving work early for Bruce Springsteen concert

Published: 19:00, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 19:17, 17 July 2026 A woman who was rapped by bosses after leaving work early to attend a Bruce Springsteen concert has lost her bid for damages. Shannon McAllister, 28, claimed she was sacked from Bell Building Projects on the grounds of disability and sex. She was employed as an estimating assistant before she was removed from her role last year. McAllister fell foul of her bosses over her attendance at work. She launched a bid for compensation but a tribunal in Glasgow rejected her claims of sex discrimination and bosses refusing to allow her to work from home to look after her children. The tribunal was told she had gone to a Bruce Springsteen concert after a mental health specialist told her it would be good for her. She left work early to attend the performance without asking permission from her line manager Stuart Moncrieff. In a written ruling, employment judge Murdo Macleod said: ‘Mr Moncrieff became aware, before he issued the dismissal letter, that the claimant had travelled to a Bruce Springsteen concert on the evening of May 13, 2025. ‘The claimant’s position was that she discussed this with a mental health specialist who advised her that it would be good for her mental health to enjoy the concert, and thus she attended on that night. Shannon McAllister claimed she was sacked on the grounds of disability and sex ‘Mr Moncrieff suspected that the reason the claimant had left the office early was in order to allow her to travel to the concert. 'We cannot take subsequent events into consideration, and there is a lack of clarity about the claimant’s condition which causes us to conclude that it cannot be found she was disabled as at May 13, 2025. ‘She was said to be bright and chatty... and was able to travel some distance to attend a Bruce Springsteen concert, on a day when she said she was having a breakdown. ‘We consider that the claimant exaggerated the impact of events upon her at that date, and that she was not as seriously affected as she maintained in evidence.’ The judge added: ‘It is therefore our conclusion that even had it been a dismissal arising in consequence of the claimant’s disability, it would have been a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim, namely to ensure that the performance of the company achieves an appropriate standard in order to maintain the quality of work produced and the relationships necessary with clients and supply chain companies. ‘It was proportionate, having sought over a period of months to address the claimant’s performance without seeing a commensurate improvement.’