Calling women 'birds' at work is sex discrimination
A former Barclays employee has sued the bank after her manager used the word ‘bird’ to refer to a female colleague and several times after despite being told he should not use it.
Claimant Anca Lacatus also reported in her witness statement that manager James Kinghorn had told her: “Do not report me to HR”.
According to LBC, Mr Kinghorn admitted he might have used the word on two occasions, but the Tribunal concluded that it was "likely that the expression was used more often than James Kinghorn is prepared to admit".
Employment Judge John Crosfill upheld Ms Lacatus' claim of sex discrimination. Discrimination is defined as treating a person unfairly because of who they are or because they possess certain characteristics.
He reportedly noted that the use of the word 'bird' was "intended to be humorous", but said the three-person panel "consider that it was very foolish to assume that anybody else would find this language amusing" and said that the word "inadvertently caused offence" to Ms Lacatus.
Ms Lacatus also complained that, despite her request, her employer refused to make reasonable adjustments to her working hours when she became unwell. The judge concluded the failure to be "a serious act of discrimination" and "exceedingly thoughtless".
Barclays said of the ruling:
"An inclusive and respectful culture is critically important to us. We agree that the language used was inappropriate and not acceptable, as does the individual who used it."
There will be another hearing later in the year to decide how much compensation Ms Lacatus should receive.
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