A real estate brokerage manager who was fired claimed she was fired for asking her boss and coworker not to vape in her home.
Ledan Perry, 53, worked for the Belvoir Swale franchise in Sheerness, Kent, for five months until boss Peter Huane knocked on her door last Sunday (December 3) and handed her a letter informing her she had been made redundant.
Ms Perry, who lives close to the Isle of Sheppey branch, worked under Mr Huane's wife, Karen, and alongside their daughter Allannah – and claims she was given the boot for asking the couple to stop vaping to her to the office.
However, Mr Huane says she was released for poor performance and 'insubordination'. In 2016, he fired another employee for the same reason, after she told a colleague that Ms. Huane was a “scumbag” and “her job could foist a *** on her.”
Speaking to MailOnline, Ms Perry claims she was a diligent employee who was only fired because she complained about her colleagues' constant puffing, which she said posed a risk to her own health.
Ledan Perry, 53, claims she was fired from a rental company in Belvoir because she complained about her colleagues vaping indoors
Belvoir Swale estate agents in Sheerness, Kent, managed by Peter and Karen Huane
Ms Perry said Belvoir Swale estate agents manager Karen Huane (pictured) was vaping in the office with her daughter
Karen and Peter Huane, bosses of the Belvoir franchise in Swale, Kent. The pair were taken to the employment tribunal by another employee in 2017 over her unfair dismissal, but no compensation was awarded
No smoking signs have been attached to the estate agent's front door, on Broadway in Sheerness
She said: 'They wanted to get rid of me because I wanted to get rid of vaping. Instead of sorting it, I got my notice. They weren't going to stop it.
'I didn't do anything wrong and I lost my job because of it. It wasn't unreasonable. I was the only one working there and my health was at risk.”
Ms Perry – whose father-in-law died two weeks before she was fired – started the job in August and claims she was told from the start that smoking and vaping were banned in the office.
According to Google Street View images, smoking bans have been posted at the estate agent's front door, on Broadway in Sheerness.
She said: 'When I started in early August they said no smoking (indoors), they had 'no smoking' signs on the door.
“But after the second day I noticed Karen was vaping and the daughter started vaping at her desk.
'I told them, “You are not allowed to vape”, but they ignored this and vaped freely. It really irritated me and affected my health, affected my breathing, and you could smell it in the air. We didn't have any windows that could be opened.'
The issue festered for months until Friday, December 1, when a new staff member started and, Ms. Perry claims, joined the others in vaping indoors.
She then sent Ms Huane a message on WhatsApp saying: “I'm really concerned about all the vaping going on in the office. It's not fair to me, it affects my health.
'People should have the choice not to inhale toxins. As you know, I am very anti-smoking. I have researched vaping and it has been found to be harmful to others.”
In a response, Ms Huane said she would ask people to vape outside, adding: 'I don't want it to be mentioned again because we understand you have your opinion but constantly telling people is really not fair.
“People are adults and just because they choose to vape, drink or smoke, it's not anyone's place to judge them for it.”
However, Ms Perry claims she then received an 'aggressive' phone call from Ms Huane. Before the fallout, she said she was on good terms with her boss.
During the conversation, Mr Huane allegedly accused her of “taking up his time” before hanging up. He then showed up at her door on December 3 with a letter in his hand.
Ms Perry, who is originally from Iran but grew up in London, continued: 'OhOn Sunday he came to my door, gave me a letter and said, “You're not coming back to the office.”
“The letter stated that they would terminate my employment immediately.”
The note provided no reason for her dismissal; Mr Huane subsequently confirmed in an email to Ms Perry that she had been dismissed for “several factors including… performance and insubordination”.
He added: “I understand your issue with vaping in the office and this has been addressed as advised.”
Ms Perry was told by email that she was being fired due to issues with her 'performance' and 'insubordination' – claims she denies
Peter Huane arrives at Ms Perry's home on Sunday, December 3, to deliver her letter of resignation
The administrative assistant claimed she asked her coworkers to stop vaping indoors because of her health
She received two weeks' wages in lieu of her notice period, twice the statutory notice period. She was already five months into a six-month probationary period when she was fired.
But she continues to believe that her strong anti-vaping stance, based on the World Health Organization's (WHO) tough stance on e-cigarette use, led to her resignation.
She made a complaint to her former employer and raised it at Belvoir's head office in Grantham, Lincolnshire.
Mrs Perry added: 'I don't want any more stress in my life while I am arranging my father-in-law's funeral. I can find another job, but what they are doing there is not right.'
The WHO declared last year that e-cigarettes are 'harmful to both users and non-users who are exposed secondhand to the aerosols'.
Studies in the US have led to similar conclusions, but the most recent assessment by the UK government in September 2022 it concluded that vaping poses a 'small proportion' of the risks of cigarettes and supported its use as a smoking alternative.
Indoor vaping is also not subject to a blanket ban under UK law, as it is not covered by tobacco products legislation. However, shops, cafes, offices and transport services can impose a ban themselves.
It is not the first time that Mr and Mrs Huane, who took over the 36-year-old company in July 2016, have fired an employee over allegations of 'insubordination'.
It was later found that on December 9, 2016, a few months after taking over the branch, they had unfairly dismissed another employee of ten years' service, named Ms R Riley in the documents.
An employment tribunal in May 2017 ruled that there were 'obvious tensions' between Mr and Mrs Huane and the permanent employees at their new company.
Matters came to a head when Ms. Riley said Ms. Huane might “screw her job” if she couldn't get time off to watch her son's Christmas play and later had an angry confrontation with her on Dec. 8. day before her discharge.
Colleagues claimed to have independently heard the property consultant call Ms Huane a 'b****'.
An employment judge ruled that she had been wrongfully dismissed because the Huanes could not provide written notes about the investigation that led to her dismissal.
The letters they wrote to Ms Riley were written in a manner “consistent with the approach of a small employer unfamiliar with HR practices”, the judge added.
But Ms Riley was not awarded any damages as the judge ruled that the conduct that led to her dismissal was 'entirely caused by [her] own reprehensible behavior'.
Mr Huane told MailOnline: 'We have a strict complaints procedure and are now investigating the background and circumstances surrounding this matter. Until this is finalized we cannot comment further.”
Belvoir head office was contacted for comment.
