Victim of workplace sexist abuse awarded £9,000

A young woman administrator who was “systematically and continuously abused” at her workplace has been awarded £9,000 in compensation.

The 21-year-old said the years of bullying by male colleagues had destroyed her bubbly and confident personality.

The Tribunal heard that she had been called a bitch and a whore by her boss and had been made to clean the toilets even though it was not part of her job.

The abuse began in 2006 after she had reported the theft of some items from the firm. Two members of staff were later dismissed. She said her boss started to swear at her regularly and threatened to sack her. When she started dating a colleague, work colleagues told the man not to give her a lift home or she would “cry rape”.

She said that when she complained, she was told by a senior manager that she should expect swearing in an all-male environment. She resigned after discovering that she was the only candidate chosen for possible redundancy.

The judge said the young woman had been brave to bring her grievances to the attention of her employer and criticised the firm for not paying enough attention to her complaints. "She was systematically and continuously abused by her manager over a period. She had irritable bowel syndrome which was adversely affected by her treatment."

The young woman was awarded £9,000 in compensation for sexual discrimination and constructive dismissal.

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