The Workplace Relations Commission found that Charlotte O'Brien was discriminated against after a male colleague tried to pull down her trousers at work, and ordered Deadline Direct Ltd T/a Deadline Couriers to pay her €50,440 in compensation. The decision was dated 20 April 2023.
O'Brien said the incident happened on 27 May 2021 while she was working, and that she had not been given a sexual harassment policy or training. The adjudicator found the employer had not taken preventive steps before the incident and that its subsequent investigation was inadequate. The employer said it had grievance procedures and that O'Brien had not fully engaged with its process.
The WRC concluded that the employer had not rebutted the discrimination case. It awarded the statutory maximum of two years' remuneration, taking account of the seriousness of the harassment and its effects on O'Brien.