Woman called ‘green eyed monster’ wins sexual harassment claim

A woman who was subjected to a tirade of abuse and called a green eyed monster by a man with whom she had previously had a relationship at work has won a claim of sexual harassment.

The case involved a claimant who worked as head of sales for a recruitment consultancy. Shortly after joining the company, she began a relationship with her line manager. This ended on friendly terms and they continued to work together.

The line manager then began a relationship with another woman who was on the claimant’s team at the company. When the claimant found out, she raised concerns with the line manager about the effect of the relationship on her team.

During the next two months, management meetings took place in which the claimant was subjected to criticism by her line manager in front of her colleagues. In one meeting, he subjected her to a 30-minute tirade of abuse about her management style. In particular, he called her a green-eyed monster and said he believed that she was jealous of his new partner.

Tensions continued and she later resigned saying she had lost all trust and confidence in her line manager.

A tribunal concluded that the abuse amounted to sexual harassment. She was awarded £10,000 for the injury to her feelings.

Please contact  Robert Bedford if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of employment law.