A former personal shopper has settled her claims of sexual harassment and victimisation against her former employer Tesco for £45,000.
Lara Storey, who had been a part-time ‘Dotcom’ personal shopper for the supermarket chain while a student, lodged a complaint at the Office of the Industrial Tribunal over her experience with her employer after claiming she had been subjected to sexual harassment by a colleague.
Ms Storey claimed the harassment included physical touching, and raised a grievance with Tesco, which was upheld.
However, despite assurances the colleague would be retrained or relocated to another store, they remained in their post.
Ms Storey believed the decision was in breach of her employer’s equal opportunities policy and disciplinary code of conduct and that it failed to provide her with a safe and secure working environment.
Upon lodging her complaint at the Office of the Industrial Tribunal, she felt she was victimised and treated unfairly by senior staff.
Ms Storey claimed this treatment included being ignored at work and criticised for minor issues, and she eventually resigned form her post.
The case was settled without admission of liability and Lara was supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
In settling the cases, Tesco reaffirmed its commitment to equality of opportunity.
The company said it regrets how the events that led to the claims made Ms Storey feel, and said it will improve processes going forward.
Tesco has also agreed to liaise with the Equality Commission to review its policies, practices and procedures on harassment.
Speaking of her experience, Ms 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.”
Geraldine McGahey, Chief Commissioner at the Equality Commission, said: “Our sex discrimination laws are almost 50 years old, and unfortunately, they are needed as much today as they did 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.”
