Teen Lidl worker wins £50k after boss tells her she would look good in knickers
A teenager who worked at Lidl has won £50,000 after her boss told her she would look good in knickers and said he wanted to sleep with her and her boyfriend.
Maddie Hunter started working at a branch of the budget supermarket in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, shortly after her 18th birthday in February 2019. However, an employment tribunal heard that soon after starting she faced sexual comments, but when she complained she was told to take it as a compliment.
Her gay boss, deputy store manager Michael Harding, told the A-Level student “I’d bet you would look good in this” after picking up a pair of knickers she was sorting through. When he was told “you can’t say that” Mr Harding simply told her “You better get used to it” the tribunal heard.
The hearing was also told that at the branch, sexual comments were tolerated and male staff ranked female colleagues according to their attractiveness. Miss Hunter eventually quit and successfully sued the retail giant for sex harassment and constructive dismissal, winning £50,884.62 in compensation.
The tribunal in Reading was told that a month after the teenager started, a male co-worker moved his till next to her, asked for her number and made comments and sexual advances throughout the day. She asked her store manager whether she could move tills but he said she “should take it as a compliment”, the tribunal heard.
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Mr Harding became Deputy Store Manager in February 2020 and Miss Hunter alleged that - despite her asking him to stop - he would pester her on a daily basis, touching her on the bottom, thighs and waist and often attempting to hug her. "(He) regularly talked about sex," the tribunal heard. "He talked about who he would rather sleep with, 'What they could do' and comments such as 'Bet they're good at giving head'.
"(He) admits that he said that he found (Miss Hunter's boyfriend) attractive. (She) said he told her he wanted to sleep with her and her boyfriend. (Miss Hunter) said that when she arrived at the store with wet hair (he) asked 'How was your shower?', 'Do you shower alone?', and 'What did you do in the shower?"
She also described an incident where she and a colleague were sorting through swimming costumes and underwear. The tribunal heard: "He was passing through the warehouse, and he picked up some knickers and asked (Miss Hunter) and the person who she was with 'do you think I look good in these?' (Miss Hunter) did not respond and he then said 'I bet you would look good in this' to which she did not respond. Someone said 'You can't say that'. (She) says that (Mr Harding) then said 'You better get used to it'."
Miss Hunter - who was promoted in August 2020 - told the tribunal she complained to her store manager about Mr Harding's conduct but that she was ignored. "He laughed and said he was not surprised," the hearing was told. In October and December Miss Hunter asked to be transferred to a store with a female manager but was told there wasn't one nearby. She was also unhappy as she believed she was being underpaid and being asked to work excessive hours, the tribunal heard.
In June 2021 she resigned after being told by a manager she needed to have a 'performance discussion' for being late. The tribunal - chaired by Employment Judge Sarah Matthews - upheld her claims of sexual harassment and constructive unfair dismissal. The panel concluded that Mr Harding did not intend to cause offence through his comments because he didn't realise that what he was saying was offensive.
"This reflects the culture in the store which was allowed to go unchecked," it said. "The Tribunal has found that there was an acceptance of comments with sexual overtones. (Mr Harding) has been identified as the main perpetrator but that does not excuse the failure to act by more senior management. We find that (he) was reflecting the culture within the store. He said in evidence he wanted to lighten the atmosphere and that workplace banter was not uncommon; they were like a big family.
"We accept (Miss Hunter's) explanation that 'It was a man's world in that company'. We find that the line managers did not consider that it was their role to police harassment. They paid no attention to her complaints and closed their eyes and ears to the culture of harassment that existed."
A spokesperson for Lidl said: "We have policies and procedures in place to help ensure that colleagues are treated fairly, equally, and respectfully, which include training programmes with clear expectations on conduct in the workplace. We will continue to regularly review and enhance these training programmes on a regular basis."
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