A senior IBM executive who contracted a chronic illness that left her struggling to talk has received a £25,000 payout after being forced out of the company for unsatisfactory contributions to meetings and conference calls.
Lynn Marie Runcie, 52, who worked for the IT giant for more than 20 years, was made redundant in 2016 despite informing management that she had been suffering from fibromyalgia, a condition that caused her constant insomnia, widespread pain and issues such as heart irregularities.
The illness also affected her ability to conduct conference calls in her role as a sales matter expert working on global projects. She experienced spasms in her jaw that sometimes lasted more than a week, leaving her unable to eat or talk.
Although managers at