A sexual harassment suit filed by a woman slapped in the buttocks with a ruler at a staff meeting was settled for £90,000.
The woman added that once she complained to her former employer, they told her she had “dressed and behaved provocatively.” For privacy reasons, neither the woman nor the company is being named.
It was a disturbing and distressing situation, according to Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner of the Equality Commission.
The probe, according to Ms McGahey, made the woman feel “more like a perpetrator than a victim.”
“I think it really demonstrates very clearly that this organisation has a really toxic culture, a laddish culture and they just didn’t respect or have any regard for their woman employees.”
The business has agreed to collaborate with the commission to develop comprehensive policies on sexual harassment and provide appropriate employee training as part of the settlement.
As heard in court, the male manager at her company had ordered her to stand up and turn around, after which he hit her on the butt.
The manager then said, “I had to.”
The woman questioned the other male manager there if this was permissible. She continues by saying the men laughed it off and shared the story with other colleagues who had arrived for the meeting.
After first being too ashamed to bring up what had happened, the woman eventually informed her employers that she would not be returning to work until the issue was resolved.
She declined an offer to meet the manager who slapped her and a senior manager at a coffee shop away from the office to discuss the situation, reasoning that it was improper.
The manager she claimed slapped her quit soon afterwards. The woman went on to file a formal complaint with her employer, who she claims did not respond for ten days before finally upholding her claim after another five weeks.
However, she claimed that “untrue and derogatory” statements about her were included in the investigation’s findings.
She filed a formal written appeal of the grievance decision and afterwards submitted her resignation, citing an unwillingness to continue working for the company.
The woman’s employer stated in the appeal that she had “dressed and behaved in a provocative manner,” which the woman strongly refutes.
The woman claimed that the letter was more harassment from the corporation and that they blamed her.
Ms McGahey claimed that the woman “suffered significant embarrassment and humiliation” because she was “treated as a troublemaker.”
“She was talked about in the office. I really respect the complainant, that she wants to remain anonymous, she wants to get away from the embarrassment and humiliation that she feels is attached to it.”
She went on to say, “I think the key message to other women who are also suffering is you don’t have to stand up and have your face known, you can do this in a private way and a confidential way.”
Ms McGahey emphasized that “it’s not good just having policy sitting on a shelf” as a takeaway for businesses.
“If you don’t respect your employees, if you don’t take action to protect women, you’re failing women – and ultimately, it’ll cost you dearly. It’ll cost your reputation, your staff turnover and, through a tribunal, a lot of money,” he added.
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