A car crash victim has been awarded £17,280 in compensation after an employment tribunal ruled a colleague harassed her by comparing her to Stephen Hawking.The incident occurred when Alison McRobbie, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) work coach, was showcasing a new office chair designed to aid her comfort.Her colleague, Josie Hooper, sat in the special equipment and, while "spinning round in it" and "laughing", made an "unflattering" comparison to the world-renowned physicist, who used a wheelchair for much of his adult life.The tribunal heard that Ms McRobbie, described as "very sensitive", may have "misunderstood" the remark. However, the tribunal concluded that Ms Hooper had indeed harassed her by the way her comment "drew particular attention" to Ms McRobbie's disability. Despite the successful claim against the DWP, Ms McRobbie has been ordered to pay the government organisation £10,912 in costs, after the tribunal found she had behaved "unreasonably" during the proceedings.The tribunal, held in Southampton, Hants, had heard Ms McRobbie started working for the DWP in the Universal Credit department in June 2021.Alison McRobbie outside the Courts of Justice (Digi-Teach/Solent News)The work coach, who is now a social media influencer on TikTok, suffers from arthritis and crepitus – cracking joints – in her right knee, right hand, and neck following a crash in 2017.The event also gave her PTSD, which she was diagnosed with in April 2022.Upon starting work, Ms McRobbie asked for some "reasonable adjustments" to be made to the physical work place in terms of her desk and her chair.She said the current seat she had was too low and has no neck support, causing pain and affecting her back, it was heard.During a period in which Ms McRobbie was working from home, she was told a chair with a high back and a headrest had been requested.After lengthy delays, the furniture was delivered and installed on 12 October 2022.Some 10 days later, Ms McRobbie was in the office and invited her colleague, Ms Hooper, over to take a look at it because she was "genuinely pleased" with her chair.It was then that Ms McRobbie alleged that Ms Hooper, who was said to be "impressed" by the office furniture, discriminated against her.Alison McRobbie worked for the DWP in the Universal Credit department (PA)She alleged that Ms Hooper sat on the chair and compared it to Stephen Hawking's, before "making faces and gesticulating".Referring to Ms McRobbie's witness statement, Employment Judge Catherine Rayner said: "She said that a colleague sat in her chair spinning round in it, laughing and saying I was going to look like Stephen Hawking in this chair."She then made gestures mimicking Mr Hawking's disabled posture."Ms Hooper told the tribunal that she "did not remember the events very well" and could "not definitely say that she had not made the comments".While the tribunal ruled that on the balance of probabilities that Ms Hooper "did make a comment" about Hawking, they said she "did not make facial gesture and did not mimic a disabled person" and said Ms McRobbie's account was "exaggerated"."However we also recognise that in terms of appearance, a comparison between how he looked and how another person might look when using [Ms McRobbie's] chair, was not flattering or complimentary," EJ Rayner added."[We] find that she was upset at the time and that part of the reason for her upset was a comment linking her chair with Stephen Hawking," the judge continued."We find it was unwanted and that it was related to her disability."After "a serious breakdown in the relationship" between Ms McRobbie and the DWP, she was dismissed for alleged gross misconduct and stopped work in November 2025.She took the government department to the tribunal claiming discrimination, unfair dismissal and harassment.Stephen Hawking used a wheelchair for much of his adult life (PA Archive)The tribunal upheld the claim of harassment in relation to the Stephen Hawking comment.The judge said: "We have taken into account as set out above that [Ms McRobbie] had not been into the office for some time that she was known to be a person who was very sensitive and also that the comment itself drew particular attention to [her] disability."Whilst we all agree that most people would not find this to be offensive, we accept that it is reasonable for it to be treated as harassment in this case and we therefore find that [Ms McRobbie] was harassed."She also won a claim that the DWP had failed to make reasonable adjustments for her disability.Other claims made by Ms McRobbie, who represented herself during the proceedings, were dismissed.The government has been ordered to pay the worker £17,280 because of the injury to her feelings.However DWP has also made an order of costs against Ms McRobbie, who will have to herself pay £10,912.This is to pay "towards the costs that were incurred as a result of her culpable conduct" as she was found to have been "unreasonable and in some places dishonest" during the proceedings.This included exaggerating about her colleague doing an impression of Stephen Hawking.The Tribunal still did not conclude that "the case was itself unreasonable or misconceived", so Ms McRobbie's take-home compensation after paying costs will be £6,368.