Sophie Alcock, 20, says she was fired after two weeks as a chef at Toast in Withington, Manchester. Her boss later described it as “the worst day of work he’d ever seen.” Alcock says she warned him on July 6 that she might be “distracted” because she was waiting for her university degree results.

The next day, she says a colleague told her a rumour that she was being dismissed because of her “attitude.” After she emailed the café owner, Matt, he replied that she was “no longer required to work at Toast.”

Alcock then went back to the café and secretly recorded their discussion. In the audio, Matt accuses her of being on her phone for “four hours” and says he “can’t have someone doing that little amount of work.” Alcock disputes the claim, saying her phone shows two hours and 50 minutes of use that day, much of it outside her shift, and that she used it during work for “around an hour” while checking for results.

The recording also captures Alcock telling Matt she would urge friends not to visit and saying she “really hopes he suffers.” She says she later learned she had earned a first-class degree, but it was “overshadowed by being fired.”

Toast confirmed she no longer works there and said it would not discuss the reasons, citing confidentiality. The café said, “Sophie is being paid for the hours she worked. We wish her well in the future.”