An ex-receptionist at a car dealership was awarded $31,000 (£23,000) after her bosses excluded her from an office pizza order.
Bosses at Hartwell, a Ford car dealership, would ask employees for their order once a month, which could include fish and chips, pizza, or other fast food.
But Malgorzata Lewicka told the hearing that she was deliberately excluded by the managers after she accused a member of staff of sexual discrimination.
It was in 2018 when Miss Lewicka filed a complaint about her working hours, pay, and alleged sexual discrimination.
After an investigation, the tribunal heard that a member of staff was issued a final written warning after committing gross misconduct.
Miss Lewicka told the tribunal how she was then excluded from the company lunch.
She said that ‘other employees were asked but she was not asked if she wanted to order food or participate.’
The car dealership then claimed that Miss Lewicka was not asked because she only worked part-time and finished at 1 pm. But the tribunal ruled this was not an excuse to exclude her.
It was also heard how Miss Lewicka was victimized by her coworkers who would put the phone down if she answered the call and would not speak to her at all.
Employment Judge Jennifer Bartlett ruled: “We accept that the lunches may have been ad hoc and they were informal. However (Miss Lewicka) gave clear evidence that at Hemel a manager went around the site taking lunch orders and that she was included.
“However when she moved to Watford she was not asked if she wanted to order or participate whereas other colleagues were. She could have been asked if she wanted to join in.”
“(Miss Lewicka) as a single woman with child care commitments has suffered a disadvantage from [Hartwell’s] requirement that Service Advisors work full-time namely she was selected for redundancy and dismissed,” she continued.
Miss Lewicka was awarded £23,000 (31,000) including compensation for loss of earnings and injury to feelings.
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