Woman gets £90k payout after manager slapped her bum at work
A woman has received a £90,000 ($109,000) payout after a male manager slapped her bum at work.
The woman from Northern Ireland alleged that while at a staff meeting at work, she was told up to stand up and turn around.
She was then slapped on the bum with a ruler by one manager in front of another, which led to the sexual harassment case.
To protect the woman's identity, the Commission say they neither she or her employer can be named.
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But they said that the case had been highlighted as "it shows yet again how some of Northern Ireland's employers are still failing to protect women from serious sexual harassment in their workplaces and failing to properly investigate complaints".
The statement added: "In 2021, whilst the woman was at a meeting in her workplace, she was told to stand up and turn round, and then slapped on the bottom with a ruler by one male manager in front of another male manager.
"The male manager who slapped her laughed and said, 'I'm sorry, I had to'
"The woman looked at the other male manager and asked, 'Is that allowed?'. Both the men treated it as a joke, and they also told other employees who then arrived at the meeting what had happened."
It continued: "She felt so humiliated and embarrassed by the incident that she could not initially tell her mother or her boyfriend.
"When she did, they advised her to approach the HR department and a more senior manager. She told her employers she would not return to work until the matter was addressed."
She turned down an offer to meet the more senior manager and the manager who slapped her on the bottom in a coffee shop off-site to see if they could resolve it because she thought this entirely inappropriate.
"The manager involved subsequently resigned from his job and did not work out his full notice."
The statement added that when the woman raised a complaint to her employer, but they did not acknowledge it for ten days.
It continued: "When the result of her appeal came through, her employer raised concerns regarding her behaviour in the workplace.
"They alleged that she had dressed and behaved in a provocative manner, which she vehemently denies.
"The woman was shocked and extremely aggrieved that this letter contained further attacks on her character.
"She felt that this was further harassment and that the company was blaming her for what had happened.
Reacting to the case being settled, Chief Commissioner Geraldine McGahey said: “There is something badly wrong with a workplace where this sort of behaviour is acceptable.
"This case demonstrates a toxic laddish culture that shows scant respect for female colleagues.
“This young woman felt she had no option but to resign from her job.
"She did not feel her employer was treating her as a victim of sexual harassment, rather it was treating her as a troublemaker.
"She lost faith that any of her employer’s actions were in her interest or that they ever took her concerns seriously.
"The investigation made her feel like a perpetrator rather than a victim."
Topics: Crime
Callum Jones