- A UK employment tribunal has ruled that spending under 90 minutes browsing personal websites during work hours is not misconduct—especially when the employer does the same.
- Accountant Anna Lanuszka was awarded over £14,000 after being unfairly dismissed for using her work computer to visit sites like Amazon and Rightmove.
- The judge slammed the employer’s use of spyware and questioned the timing of the dismissal.
In a case that’s turning heads across UK workplaces, accountant Anna Lanuszka has won over £14,000 in damages after being sacked for browsing personal websites during work hours. Her employer, Accountancy MK, had installed spyware on her computer and claimed she spent one hour and 24 minutes over two days on non-work-related sites like Rightmove and Amazon.
But Employment Judge Michael Magee wasn’t convinced. He ruled that the time spent online wasn’t excessive and noted that a large portion had been used for professional development, including Excel training. Crucially, there was no company policy prohibiting personal use of work computers—and the employer, Ms Krauze, had reportedly done the same.
The tribunal also questioned the motive behind the dismissal, pointing out that it coincided with the permanent relocation of Krauze’s sister to the UK. Judge Magee concluded that the employer wanted to remove Lanuszka before she reached the two-year mark, which would have granted her full unfair dismissal protections under UK law.
Adding to the skepticism, diary entries submitted as evidence of past performance issues were written in 2024—after the dismissal had already occurred.
With no prior warnings, no misconduct history, and no clear policy violations, the tribunal ruled the dismissal unjustified. The case now stands as a cautionary tale for employers who monitor staff without clear boundaries—and a win for workers navigating the blurry line between productivity and personal time.
