The Labour Court increased compensation for Costa Coffee barista Shauna Quilty from €3,500 to €20,000 after finding the company liable for sexual harassment. The determination was signed on 1 September 2021, following Ms Quilty’s appeal of the Adjudication Officer’s decision.
The case arose from sexualised posts by a manager in a staff Messenger group in December 2019. The Court found MBCC Foods Ireland Limited T/A Costa Coffee had no clear sexual harassment policy or staff training at the time, and that its social media policy did not expressly prohibit the conduct. It rejected the company’s defence that it had taken reasonable preventive steps. The manager was later suspended, investigated and disciplined, but those steps came after the harassment.
The Court also ordered the company to develop sexual harassment, anti-bullying and social media policies, communicate them to employees and ensure they were understood. The earlier findings that gender discrimination and discrimination in conditions of employment were not established remained unchanged. The Court also rejected Ms Quilty’s claim that the company’s response was intended to penalise her or move her to another location.