Frances Fricker has successfully sued Gartner, a technology consulting firm, alleging that her boss used the remark despite her opposition. The accountant said she was an “independent woman” and that her behavior had left her “humiliated and humiliated”. When she complained to senior executives of the 3 3 billion company, she was told she had flirted again with Giuseppe Ajroldi, sales manager, and resigned, according to the court. He is now preparing to pay after an employment judge ruled that “language evolves over time”. The court in Watford, Hertfordshire, heard that Mr. Ajroldi was part of a “toxic” and male-dominated culture at Gartner, which has its headquarters in Europe at Egham in Surrey and an office in London.
Woman “humiliated and humiliated” by comments
After joining Gartner in September 2017, Mr. Ajroldi suggested to Ms. Fricker that she change the image on her LinkedIn profile, telling her: “You’s beautiful; for once, trust your manager,” the court heard. It is also alleged that he showed her photos from her Facebook profile and “laughed” and told her “she looked fat”, which made her feel “humiliated and humiliated”. The panel heard that Mr Ajroldi “often” referred to Ms Fricker as a “good girl”, including twice in February 2018. She once replied: “I am an independent woman, for good”. It is said that Mr. Ajroldi replied: “Is not the good girl suitable?” After telling him that the phrase was “a little condescending”, he said: “Sorry, I did not want to offend an independent woman”, the court heard. Ms Fricker later filed a complaint against Mr Ajroldi and resigned in October 2019, alleging that she had been discriminated against as a result of the harassment complaint. Mr Ajroldi also later decided to leave the company.
“Language evolves over time”
Employment judge Gary Tobin said “evidence of such a culture of discrimination is rare”. He ruled: “The harassment started slightly at first with comments, especially about her appearance and attitude (ie the good girl), which then escalated into inappropriate advances. “Language evolves over time. Words and phrases that once seemed harmless are now considered racist, homophobic and sexist insults. “Some phrases, although not considered taboo, are generally considered inappropriate in the workplace. To refer to a woman in her late 30s with a school-age child as a girl is humiliating. “We find that Mrs Fricker was sexually harassed and treated less favorably because of her rejection of the harassment.” Ms Fricker’s allegations of constructive unfair dismissal also succeeded, although other allegations of gender discrimination and victimization failed. The compensation will be determined at a later date. A company spokesman for Gartner said: “We are extremely disappointed with the decision of the UK employment court. We do not believe the evidence supports the decision and we are currently identifying possible next steps, including whether we will appeal this decision. “At Gartner, we are committed to creating an inclusive culture where every partner feels safe, respected and empowered to do the best they can.”
