A Brazilian office worker has won £142,000 in compensation after suffering abuse from colleagues at the firm’s office in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Ashford Employment Tribunals in Kent heard that staff at the branch nicknamed her “SpongeBob SquarePants”, after the cartoon character, because of her accent.
Licia Faithful, 31, complained that she suffered post traumatic stress disorder and depression as a result of the bullying.
Ms Faithful worked for AXA PPP Healthcare, the medical insurance firm, where she earned £17,765 a year.
A judge ordered the company to pay her aggravated damages – including almost £25,000 for hurt feelings – after hearing that she was subjected to an 18-month ordeal of “racial” bullying, the Telegraph reports.
The tribunal also heard that others stole miniature Brazilian flags from her desk and hid them and one manager allegedly told her not to wear a top with a Brazilian logo on it.
One co-worker stood up on a coach during a staff outing and spoke about “bloody foreigners”, when she was the only non-British person on board, the tribunal heard.
Mrs Faithful also had to watch as British colleagues received rewards from bosses, including cash and vouchers, for achievements to which she had contributed but received nothing, Judge Gill Sage found.
The judge ruled that Mrs Faithful had suffered the “most serious case of discrimination” and had been treated “less favourably on the grounds of race”.
She found that she endured a “hostile and degrading” environment in a company which had “lacked empathy” and put her through a “demeaning” grievance procedure after she complained about the abuse.
In a statement Axa said that it was “disappointed” with the outcome and insisted it had already considered “areas for improvement”.
“Treating our employees fairly is very important to us and we work hard to create a positive, supportive workplace culture where employees enjoy their working environment and feel that they can give their best in serving our customers,” Axa added.
Medico-Legal News Source: PostOnline
