Manager awarded €4,000 after her boss told her she had beautiful eyes

A WOMAN working as a service station manager was awarded €4,000 after her boss told her she had ‘beautiful eyes’, while he criticised her management approach.

She told the Workplace Relations Commission that a visit by an area manager left her feeling ‘humiliated and undermined’.

He made inappropriate comments on her work record, including questioning her invoicing method, criticising the shop layout, saying she should take a ‘step down’ and threatening her with disciplinary action if she refused.

He also said staff had no respect for her and mentioned that she had beautiful eyes.

After the station manager complained to the company’s human resources department, the area manager accepted he had commented on the woman’s eyes.

WRC adjudication officer Andrew Heavey found that ‘within the context and tone of conversations during the site visit, the complainant was justified in feeling uncomfortable with that remark’.

He said that he was satisfied ‘that the conduct of the area manager towards the complainant was harassing in nature’.

The area manager also made references to his own wife and her personality traits during the visit, on July 8, 2016, and adjudication officer Mr Heavey said: ‘On that basis I find the complainant’s gender was a significant factor in the area managers attitude towards her.’

The woman had separately claimed that the comment on her eyes amounted to sexual harassment but Mr Heavey said he did not find that the man’s comments were sexual in nature.

However, the area manager had been ‘unsupportive and dismissive of the complainant, which left her feeling humiliated and demeaned’.

WRC adjudication officer Mr Heavey said: ‘I also find that his attitude towards her was one of criticism as opposed to one of support and assistance.’

The area manager accepted he made the comment about his colleague’s eyes but denied much else of what he was accused of saying.

The service station manager resigned with immediate effect on January 27, 2017, as a result of the stress brought on by the behaviour of the area manager, the hearing heard.

However, Mr Heavey rejected the woman’s claim for constructive dismissal and said the employer did not behave in such a way that left the woman with no option but to resign.

Felt ‘humiliated and undermined’