A teenage shop assistant was told by her manager that she would “look good” in a pair of underwear and he wanted to sleep with her and her boyfriend.
Maddie Hunter told her boss: “You can’t say that,” before he replied: “You’d better get used to it," an employment tribunal heard.
The now 22-year-old has been awarded £50,000 for sexual harassment and constructive dismissal after suing Lidl.
Hunter, who was an A-level student at the time, brought the claim against the supermarket over comments made by the branch’s deputy store manager, Michael Harding.
The now 22-year-old has been awarded £50,000 for sexual harassment and constructive dismissal after suing Lidl
PA
The young worker complained about comments made at the store in Wallingford, Oxfordshire where she alleged that male staff ranked female colleagues in order of attractiveness.
An employment tribunal hearing in Reading heard that Hunter was told by the store manager to treat it as a “compliment”.
She began working at the supermarket in 2019, shortly after her 18th birthday and claims that after a month a male worker moved his till next to hers and made sexual advances during the day.
Hunter reportedly asked if she could move tills but her manager refused.
In 2020, Harding became a deputy manager and Hunter alleged that he would bother her on a daily basis by touching her on the bottom, thighs and waist.
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She also claimed he would often attempt to hug her, despite being asked to stop.
The court heard that Harding “regularly talked about sex” and revealed which colleagues he would like to sleep with.
One incident was described in court: “[Harding] was passing through the warehouse, and he picked up some knickers and asked [Hunter] and the person who she was with ‘do you think I look good in these?"
Hunter did not respond, but Harding was reported to have said: “I bet you would look good in this.”
When she complained, the store manager was said to have “laughed and said he was not surprised”.
Judge, Sarah Matthews, acknowledged that Harding had not intended to cause offence and had not realised that his comments were offensive.
The tribunal found that the line managers at that branch of the supermarket chain “did not consider that it was their role to police harassment”.
It added: “They paid no attention to her complaints and closed their eyes and ears to the culture of harassment that existed.”
A spokeswoman for Lidl said Lidl had “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”.
She added: “We will continue to regularly review and enhance these training programmes on a regular basis.”
