# Can I get money back for lost wages if my boss treated me unfairly?

- Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
- Practice area: Employment Law
- Published: 2026-10-29
- Last updated: 2026-10-29
- Canonical: https://lawasked.com/uk/employment-law/can-i-get-money-back-lost-wages-if

## Question

I am writing to seek some guidance regarding a situation at my workplace here in England. For the last three years, I have worked as a supervisor at a local retail firm. Everything was fine until about four months ago, in early January, when my manager started targeting me. He began making derogatory comments about my religious practices and eventually passed me over for a promotion that I was clearly qualified for, simply because of my beliefs. I tried to resolve this internally by lodging a formal grievance with our HR department on 15th February, but they completely ignored my concerns and told me to just get on with my work. Because of this hostile environment, I felt I had no choice but to resign on 10th March. Since leaving, I have been struggling significantly; I have lost roughly £2,500 in wages because I haven't been able to find a comparable role immediately. I am planning to take this to a tribunal to prove they were wrong. If the tribunal agrees that I was treated unfairly, am I entitled to receive a payment to cover the specific amount of money I have lost since I left, or is it just a formal statement saying they were in the wrong?

## Summary

Yes, if an employment tribunal finds your claim is well-founded, they can award you money to cover your financial losses. This includes the £2,500 in lost wages you have experienced since resigning due to the treatment you described.

## Analysis

If you take your case to an employment tribunal, the court does more than just issue a formal statement. If the tribunal finds your complaint is well-founded, the law states the tribunal "must make a declaration to that effect, and... may make an award of compensation to be paid by the employer to the worker" [1]. A declaration is a formal legal statement that the employer did something wrong. An award of compensation is a payment of money to you. 

Regarding your specific situation, the tribunal can grant you money to cover your £2,500 loss. The law says the amount of compensation "is to be such amount... as the tribunal considers just and equitable in all the circumstances to compensate the worker for any financial loss sustained by the worker which is attributable to the matter complained of" [1]. This means the money must be directly linked to the unfair treatment and the hostile environment that led to your resignation. 

However, there is a catch regarding how much you can get. The tribunal "must apply the same rule concerning the duty of a person to mitigate their loss as applies to damages recoverable under the common law" [1]. To 'mitigate your loss' means you have a legal duty to take reasonable steps to minimize your financial damage, such as actively looking for a new job. If the tribunal believes you did not try hard enough to find comparable work, they might reduce the amount of money they award you. 

Additionally, you must ensure your claim is filed within the correct timeframe. A worker can present a complaint to a tribunal regarding an employer's failure to comply with certain duties [2]. You should check the specific deadlines for your type of claim to ensure you do not lose your right to sue.

## Statutory citations

- Employment Rights Act 1996, Section 27BO - Remedies [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/27BO)
  > Where an employment tribunal finds a complaint... well-founded, the tribunal— a must make a declaration to that effect, and b may make an award of compensation to be paid by the employer to the worker.
- Employment Rights Act 1996, Section 27BO - Remedies [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/27BO)
  > In ascertaining the financial loss sustained, the tribunal must apply the same rule concerning the duty of a person to mitigate their loss
- Employment Rights Act 1996, Section 27BN - Complaints to employment tribunals [in force] (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/27BN)
  > A worker may present a complaint to an employment tribunal that the worker’s employer has failed to comply with a duty

---
General information only, not legal advice. See https://lawasked.com/disclaimer