Bullied worker awarded $56k

A woman who resigned from her job after being bullied and belittled has been awarded more than $56,000.

Katherine McIntyre worked as an administrative assistant at a Workingman’s Club from May 2021 to November 2021. The identity of the club’s operator is temporarily suppressed by the Employment Relations Authority.

McIntyre was employed to assist her manager and another colleague, referred to only as P, because their name was suppressed.

Within the first three weeks of starting work McIntyre tried to raise concerns about her manager’s behaviour towards her, which included not being welcomed into the workplace, yelled at unnecessarily on her first day, constantly being talked at with a raised voice, not being provided with work or being trained for duties in her job description, being ignored and having information withheld, not told where to find things and being belittled when seeking to pass on an email and phone message.

An investigation into the bullying in June 2021 found the allegations to be true, but McIntyre was not told until three months later. The independent investigator found the manager did not agree with McIntyre’s appointment because she did not have the skills he wanted, and he had no interest in managing her.

In August, McIntyre emailed the club president and P to say the manager’s behaviour had not changed. She said the workplace was a ‘‘very unpleasant working environment’’ and ‘‘is starting to have an effect on my mental health’’.

In October, McIntyre emailed the president and P advising that she had been called by police after the manager had laid a complaint that McIntyre had assaulted him.

The alleged assault related to an incident at the photocopier when she grabbed a document from him while he was reading it because it was a colleague’s personal letter that she had printed out.

She also questioned when the bullying and harassment was going to stop and said it was taking a huge toll on her health.

McIntyre declined an offer to move to another office because all her things were in the office and she felt she was being punished.

In November, she was placed on sick leave by her doctor because of work related stress and later resigned.

The authority found the club had breached its duty to provide a safe working environment for McIntyre, and it had not dealt with the bullying allegations well enough. The club had acknowledged McIntyre’s complaint was not dealt with promptly after the investigation report was received and before she resigned.

The club was ordered to pay McIntyre $26,465.40 in lost wages and $30,000 in compensation.