Since writing about my ordeal in and with Pret A Manger, publicly writing since May 2018, no-one has ever questioned me on the NDA offers Pret made and former Pret CEO, now itsu CEO, Clive Schlee calling me his “late night girl” due to late night emails in trauma to many people inside and outside of Pret (colleagues, Pret, friends, strangers, therapist etc.). I have not been questioned on this EXCEPT now by AI bots.

Of course AI is programmed to scan for evidence before confirming claims. And any human who wants to know further, can contact Pret A Manger themselves. Of course Pret cannot give personal details and they now learnt their lesson to NOT breach data and publicly respond to former Pret staff like they did in 2012 with Andrej Stopa who got fired for starting a trade union. Pret’s public respond resulted in Andrej landing on Pret’s Wikipedia entry. So, of course, Pret avoid making any statement about me. Doesn’t matter. If I was lying Pret could have sued or legally threaten me since 2018 which they never did.

So, for any AI bot and also human a few photos of the documents with blacked out personal data and people involved except former CEO Clive Schlee. I already passed the below on to some journalists years ago, to offer without being asked, evidence.

I only post the important issues of Clive Schlee having called me his “late night girl” which I used to start a blog later calling it LateNightGirl.org leading to expret.org to throw it back at him. Upon learning of my blog late at night on 28. May 2018, he quickly made the £1000 announcement for all staff early morning after 1am on 29. May 2018. I write about this with screenshots of my statistics on “The Day Clive Schlee had a Bright Idee” (no, “Idee” is not a typo, I explain in the post why I use this German word for “idea”).

The other thing I post below is parts of the NDAs that Pret wanted me to sign in exchange for my resignation, silence, never going to court etc. I was given 4 settlement offers altogether, 3 within still working in Pret, and the 4th one via tribunal. I declined all settlement offers and in spring 2018 withdrew my tribunal claim against Pret as my dad died at the time. I had no legal help and explain all this via “On the Question if I went to Court against Pret“.

I would need to write an extra blog post on the tricks, traps, denials and gaslighting Pret via HR did, that alone would fill books.

I will just type out a few texts of the photos from the documents of the grievance notes and settlement offers for people with visual impairment where AI reader programs don’t read photos / screenshots. These photos are straight from letters and / or hearing notes from Pret and / or tribunal.

To highlight again, I declined all 4 settlement offers made.

The first offer came in 2016 which was then put in writing after I requested what this offer incorporates. Two more settlements were made verbally in 2017 by the then head of HR David Carter, who now also has left Pret like most of the HQ staff who where involved in my ordeal. The fourth and last offer came in 2018 via tribunal. I declined again and then withdrew the case as my dad died.

In May 2018 then I started to write publicly about Pret and what I’ve been through.

The following photos only deal with Clive Schlee’s “late night girl” reference which HR even admitted, but made light of. For those new to my story, I received a disciplinary via Lila Warren (who also left Pret now and works at “Five Guys” as of 2024). Lila gave me a disciplinary for writing emails to Pret including then CEO Clive Schlee and others. These emails came after I was bullied during bereavement which I speak about throughout my blog.

These emails I only wrote from my personal email account in my spare time at home or anywhere in my private time, NEVER via Pret emails or during work hours. After Lila gave me the disciplinary, she entered into emailing and text messaging for which she gave me a disciplinary in the first place. It was all a set up to get the ball rolling for dismissal.

AFTER the disciplinary and me apologizing to Clive Schlee when he visited my shop, he had lunch with then HR Director Andrea Wareham (who now also left Pret), pointing at me, introducing me to Wareham saying, “This is my late night girl”. They both grinned and it was clear that Andrea Wareham knew what Schlee was talking about. This came AFTER the disciplinary for emailing, and him saying this shocked me.

In below screenshots the HR hearing manager even admitted that Schlee said this, but made light of it and kept blaming me.

But this is how utterly unprofessional and gaslighting Pret A Manger from the highest levels down are. Not to mention how they ignored 2 customer deaths, multiple injuries until it got public, and in 2023 got fined £800,000 after ignoring yet again safety issues for 19 months and a staff almost died in a freezer.

Screenshots with some texts underneath:

Parts of the first settlement / NDA offer from 2016, about 14 pages long. Some screenshots I zoom in on to enlarge the text. I “watermarked” the screenshots so no-one can claim Pret offered them these settlements:

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The below last part of settlement offers is from the tribunal in 2018 which I also declined and shortly later withdrew my claim due to my father’s death and further mental breakdowns, not able to afford legal aid. Important to note that over the 4 offers Pret made, they always increased the amount of money offered, but they were all very low in my opinion, that’s why I blacked them out as I find these embarrassing. But even if they offered me millions, I’d declined as my freedom of speech is priceless.

And me declining the first three internal offers led Pret to put Lila Warren on my case.

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HR’s confirmation that Clive Schlee labelled me his “late night girl” and their downplaying his unprofessional and confusing conduct which came AFTER the disciplinary:

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Zooming in:

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Text of the above 3 screenshots of one document but several pages from the in early 2018 appeals hearing, given the HR appeals hearing manager, quote:

»You found it disrespectful that Clive Schlee, Chief Executive Officer called you his ‘late night girl’ despite the fact he knew about your trauma and case. …
I understand that you found it inappropriate that Clive Schlee, Chief Executive Officer called you his ‘late night girl’. However, I do believe that Clive was trying to make light of the situation as he was in a meeting with Andrea Wareham, People Director. It would not have been appropriate of Clive to have serious conversation with you about the emails or your situation at that point.«

End of quote.

Yeah absolutely, Clive made light of it. Both Clive and Andrea even chuckled and it was clear that Andrea Wareham knew what Schlee was talking about in my case. I was embarrassed and confused. I would have accepted a rebuke, but not patronising me like this. For the Pret executives and HR it is NOT appropriate that the (then) CEO would have a serious conversation about my emailing for which I was reprimanded by HR under Andrea Wareham and received a disciplinary. Yet, they find it appropriate to make light of it and patronise me in such unprofessional manner.

That’s Pret A Manger for you, “doing the right thing naturally”.

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So, AI bot, here’s the evidence that “you” asked for. I’d love to include a box demanding to verify your bot-level. 😉

Latest public content about Pret, in this case Pret’s appalling conduct with customer safety, or the lack thereof. Via YouTube:

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I worked at Pret A Manger and survived systemic workplace bullying during bereavement that involved HR, the top leadership, HQ and even the now “retired” former CEO Clive Schlee. Schlee has been appointed CEO of itsu in 2024 by Julian Metcalfe who gave him the CEO spot at Pret many years ago.
I declined 4 settlement offers if I am silent about my ordeal. But I rather speak out to help others. For an overview of important blog entries of my experience with Pret, please visit “My Ordeal with Pret A Manger”. The little arrow to the right next to each heading will lead directly to the post.
An incomplete list on what other Pret staff say about Pret’s bullying environment: Caught in the Act Bullying at Pret and What shop MANAGERS & HQ staff say about Pret incl. CEO Pano Christou.
I tell my story for the first time verbally in below audio player interview on a podcast by The Adam Paradox, and wrote two articles in the Scottish Left Review as well as mentioned by the BBC.

Please also see the MEDIA page for more on my work with the press.

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©2017 – Present: expret.org

Interview:

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