A woman who claimed that she felt insecure at work after being sexually harassed at a holiday party was awarded nearly £19,000.
Shirley Lyons asserted that a Starplan colleague had inappropriately touched her buttocks, embraced her from behind, and made comments about her breasts.
A tribunal determined that this constituted illicit sexual harassment.
Ms. Lyons was a designer and sales consultant for the furniture company in County Armagh’s Portadown.
In addition to having branches in England, the company is one of the largest bedroom and kitchen design companies in Northern Ireland.
She claimed she was victimized by her coworkers, and that her employer neglected to protect her.
“I no longer felt safe in my workplace,” she said.
“I confronted behavior that should not occur in any workplace”.
Both my supervisor and my employer failed to safeguard me from harassment and subsequent victimization.
I had no other choice but to resign.
Ms. Lyons, 60, was the only female employee to attend the company’s Christmas celebration in December 2017, along with six male employees from the Portadown and Dungannon showrooms.
She was “surprised and upset” by her coworker’s party conduct, which suggested an affair.
She subsequently complained to her supervisor, and a grievance investigation was conducted.
I will maintain my position and fight this.
After filing her initial complaint, Ms. Lyons later accused three of her coworkers of victimization, claiming she was ignored, excluded, intimidated, and subjected to intimidating and abusive language and conduct.
Ms. Lyons stated, “I was threatened, and I was completely isolated from the others.”
“There were times when I felt like there was no hope; I thought, ‘What on earth?'”
“However, my resolve came from the fact that I knew precisely what had transpired”.
I lived it, I experienced it, and that was the most important factor for me. So I could convey the truth and stand by it.
“If this is how they’re going to treat me, I’ll stand my ground and fight,” I reasoned.
The employment tribunal partially upheld Ms. Lyons’s allegations of sexual harassment and victimization.
The panel of the tribunal found her claim of unjust termination to be well-founded while rejecting her other claims.
Ms. Lyons, who renounced her right to remain anonymous in court, was awarded £18,857.18 in damages.
In addition, the tribunal determined that Starplan had not established “any guidelines or instructions for standards of conduct and alcohol consumption for attendees” at the Christmas party and that “the most senior person present was not formally delegated responsibility for supervising.”
Also the Equality Commission, which backed Ms. Lyons, stated that her case teaches employers vital lessons.
Geraldine McGahey, the chief commissioner, stated that work social occasions were an extension of the workplace.
After learning that Ms. Lyons had formally filed a complaint with the company, the employer should have taken measures to prevent victimization by coworkers, according to the plaintiff.
She stated that work parties and excursions can be an integral part of reward, recognition, and team building.
“However, as in any other field, employers must guarantee the safety and dignity of all participants.
If this is not the case and employees have reason to complain, they must be protected from victimization.
