Tesco in Northern Ireland has settled a sexual harassment case brought by a former personal shopper for £45,000.
Lara Storey worked as a part-time ‘dotcom personal shopper’ supporting online orders. She raised a grievance with managers claiming she had been subjected to sexual harassment by a colleague, which included physical touching.
The grievance was upheld, but the colleague she had complained about remained in post, despite assurances that they would be retrained or relocated to another department or store.
Storey lodged a complaint at the Office of the Industrial Tribunal in Northern Ireland, stating that the decision to keep the employee on had been a breach of Tesco’s equal opportunities policy and disciplinary code of conduct, and that the company had failed to provide her with a safe and secure working environment.
Sexual harassment
Employers must publish sexual harassment action plans or risk shaming
She said she was then ignored and “constantly criticised” for minor work issues, was victimised and treated unfairly by senior staff, and she resigned.
Tesco has now settled the case with Storey without admission of liability and has compensated her with £45,000.
The company said it would reaffirm its commitment to equality of opportunity and that it regretted the events that led to the claim.
It has also agreed to liaise with the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland – which supported Storey on her case – on a review of its policies, practices and procedures on harassment.
Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner, said: “Our sex discrimination laws are almost 50 years old, and unfortunately, they are needed as much today as when they were first introduced.
“Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect at work. Employers must ensure that, where their employees fail to live up to that standard, action is taken to deal with it effectively and that employees are dealt with or supported appropriately.
“It is imperative therefore that employers have policies and procedures in place to manage these situations effectively and that their managers are trained to use them.”
Storey said: “I wish none of this had ever happened. I was a student working my way through university. I didn’t ask for any of this. I had to challenge it and I’m glad I did. I want other women to know that they don’t have to accept this type of behaviour or treatment, and they should expect to be treated fairly by their employer.”
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels welcome at Tesco and there is no place for harassment of any kind in our business.
“We apologise for the way the concerns of this colleague were handled in this store and have taken some clear learnings which will help us further improve our processes going forward.”
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
