Adjudicator Refuses To Anonymize Employee's Name In Medical Accommodation Case

Increasingly, in this "Internet age", employees are asking employment tribunals to anonymize their names, given that almost all decisions are now posted on the Internet.

In a recent case, an adjudicator refused to anonymize a civil servant's name in her medical-accommodation grievance against her employer.

The employee is a case officer with an Ontario government ministry.  Several years ago she injured her back, wrist and arm at work.  The employer accommodated.

A few years later she moved into a different role.  She complained that the employer did not accommodate her request to fix certain ergonomic issues at her workstation.  She also claimed to have a learning disability and to need a quieter work environment.  She said management was uncooperative.  She filed a grievance, and asked to have her name anonymized because the grievance involved presentation of medical information.