The Workplace Relations Commission awarded a worker €25,000 after finding that a multinational company discriminated against him and harassed him because of his sexual orientation. The decision was dated 3 October 2023.
The worker said his manager made offensive comments about his sexuality and that an induction questionnaire asking “What is your Drag Queen name?” was humiliating. The company denied discrimination, saying it had workplace policies and had acted appropriately on his grievance. The WRC found the comments violated his dignity, the grievance response and support were inadequate, and the harassment policy had not been meaningfully communicated to staff.
The WRC rejected the worker’s constructive discriminatory dismissal complaint because he resigned before exhausting the grievance process. It also rejected his victimisation complaint, finding no evidence of victimisation and that a payroll issue caused the €2,600 overpayment. The company was ordered to review and communicate its harassment policy and provide staff training within four months.