A woman from Deal who was forced by her manager to wear a badge declaring “I’m Simple” has been awarded more than £5,000 after an industrial tribunal.
Theresa Bailey, 43, who was the only woman on her sales team at direct marketing firm Selectbase in Deal, endured a barrage of sexist comments during her two months of employment.
But the mother-of-three eventually snapped when her line manager, David Nye, ordered her to wear the badge after she complained about problems with her computer.
On May 14, following an employment tribunal in Ashford, Mrs Bailey was awarded £5,146 under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.
During the hearing, which took place in March, it was heard how she had complained to senior management about the “laddish” behaviour of men in the office.
Line manager, Mr Nye, also joined in with others and regularly “lifted his right cheek” in her direction before breaking wind.
He also emailed a colleague after she complained about the state of the communal toilets, saying: “That’s why we don’t employ women.”
On another occasion Mrs Bailey had a beach ball thrown at her head when she protested against the sexist banter, which included colleagues leering at female passers by and joking about women drivers.
She told the Ashford hearing that a number of incidents in the office had forced her to quit, adding: “I felt so embarrassed and humiliated, my heart sank.”
She also said she had never experienced such treatment at any other company and that her decision to leave, after working there from July to September last year, had been very difficult.
In an email to company director, Steve Selwood, in October 2007, she wrote: “The number of times the person at my side would lift up his bottom off the chair and fart and think it’s funny is unreal.
“I am no prude but I do think there is a time and a place for that behaviour.”
But she proved victorious in her fight against Selectbase, and received the large sum after the tribunal ruled she wouldn’t have suffered the same treatment if she was a man.
Humiliated Mrs Bailey, a telesales regional account manager, spoke out following her victory stating she was very happy it is all over and done with.
She also emphasised the fact she had represented herself. She said: “I have done this on my own.”
After the hearing, a spokesman from Selectbase denied any of its employees had acted in an inappropriate, unfair or discriminatory way and said the company has 12 years of excellent employee relations.
POSTED: 19/05/2008 12:15:00
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