Racial harassment against employee
Key findings:
- The Tribunal found that the Claimant had been subjected to ‘a continuing act of racial harassment’ by his manager due to his Italian nationality. The harassment involved daily verbal abuse, racial slurs, and degrading comments. It escalated to a physical assault where the manager struck the Claimant in the face with a steak while using discriminatory language.
- Maximum awards were granted: £5,000 for hurt/distress for each incident, plus £5,000 for financial loss – total £15,000.
- Further, both the manager and the employer were found jointly and severally liable.
Lessons learned:
- Repeated discriminatory conduct is costly: Multiple infractions escalate damages significantly.
- Zero tolerance for harassment: Employers must take immediate and decisive action against discriminatory or abusive workplace behaviour.
- Policies aren’t enough: Anti-discrimination policies are meaningless without proper training, enforcement, and monitoring.
