Stress – The Objectivity Test

Mullen v Accenture Services Limited

Mullen was as a computer analyst at Accenture Services Limited. He was involved in a difficult project between November 2005 and March 2006, working long hours. He suffered a mental breakdown and never returned to the company. Following an internal grievance procedure, one manager was given an informal warning about his management style whilst another was found to have used inappropriate language but not to have bullied Mullen.

Mullen brought a damages claim, alleging his breakdown was caused by bullying from his line manager and negligent exposure to stress at work. He also alleged that Accenture breached regulation 3 & 4 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; it assessed the stress levels of the project as 'tolerable' before it started, but failed to review this after the project went live. Mullen argued that this breach meant it was not necessary to prove that the particular harm suffered