Overview

• Steve Jones, a senior health and safety executive at Pladis, was dismissed after slapping actress Gemma Oaten’s bottom during a public awards ceremony in June 2024.
• The incident occurred onstage at the International Safety Awards, attended by hundreds, where Jones claimed Oaten had given him permission for the action.
• An internal investigation found Jones's behavior 'neither decent nor moral,' leading to his termination for violating workplace conduct standards.
• While Oaten described the event as lighthearted in a social media post, a colleague who viewed a video of the incident reported it to HR, citing discomfort and #MeToo movement principles.
• The employment tribunal rejected Jones's unfair dismissal appeal, ruling that his actions upset colleagues and justified Pladis’s decision to terminate his employment.