Woman sexually harassed at a Christmas work party wins £19,000 pay out
A woman who was sexually harassed at a work Christmas party has been awarded almost £19,000.
Shirley Lyons accused a colleague at Starplan of touching her bottom, hugging her from behind without consent, and making comments about her breasts.
He also allegedly suggested they have an affair at the furniture company’s party in December 2017, which an employment tribunal found to be unlawful sexual harassment.
Ms Lyons reported the sexual harassment to her line manager at the store in Portadown, Northern Ireland, and lodged a formal grievance one week later.
After making her complaint, Ms Lyons said she was victimised by three colleagues, who excluded her and threatened to ‘take her down’. She resigned from the company in April 2018.
The case was heard in 2018 but, following an appeal by Ms Lyons, an anonymity order was revoked in January 2023.
She said: ‘I am pleased the case is now over, this has put huge pressure on me and my family and I’m so thankful for their support.
‘I’m also glad the tribunal agreed to lift the anonymity order, it’s important for me to be free to talk about that night and what happened afterwards.
‘We were on a night out, something that we had done in previous years without incident, so I was surprised and upset by what happened.
‘Initially, I was determined not to let it ruin my night, and I did my best to make it clear I had had enough of this behaviour on the night, but it ended up a very bad experience.
‘What happened afterwards, though, was worse – my workplace no longer felt safe for me, and I felt physically sick going into work in the mornings.
‘I stood up to behaviour that shouldn’t be happening in any workplace and my manager, and my employer totally failed to protect me both from the harassment and from being victimised afterwards.’
Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner at the Equality Commission, said: ‘Work parties and outings can be an important element of reward, recognition and team building.
‘But, like any other area of work, employers must ensure everyone attending is safe and their dignity is respected, and if that doesn’t happen, and staff have cause to complain, they must be protected from victimisation.’
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