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Office Porn, Sexual Harassment Made Brit Bank Worker Quit Her Dream Job

by VR Sreeraman on Dec 7 2009 2:04 PM

A Brit woman, who worked for banking giant HBOS, has claimed that she was forced to quit her job because of male employees watching pornography and sexual harassment.

Hayley Tansey, 38, said she was finally forced to quit her 39,000 pounds-a-year "dream" job because she was unable to cope with being constantly bombarded with unwelcome sexual attention.

Tansey, of Hebden Bridge, West Yorks, had joined Halifax-based HBOS, which was last year bailed out by the Government, 17 years ago and hoped it would be "a job for life" as she earned several promotions.

But she says over recent years the "harassing and laddish culture" spiralled out of control, with male employees watching pornography on their computers and creating a graph that gave sexual ratings to female staff.

Tansey, who worked in the bank’s loans department and had to travel frequently around the UK, also revealed an incident, which occurred when she was staying with her team at the Thistle Hotel, Cheltenham.

She said that while they were having a nightcap, a married male colleague made sexual advances at her, and when she rejected him and left for her room, she was bombarded with phone calls and knocks on her door before finally falling asleep.

"I am not sure how long I had been asleep when I woke up with a horrible feeling that I was not alone and that I was being watched," the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

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She said she turned to see the man standing over her.

He told her that the night porter had let him in after telling him his girlfriend was inside drunk and that he could not alert her to open the door.

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He asked to lie on her bed, which she refused, and then when she ordered him to leave, went into the bathroom before emerging naked.

"This was the last straw, I told him that he had to leave immediately and that he was freaking me out. I also picked up a high heel shoe from the side of the bed which I would use if I had to," she revealed.

The father-of-three, who cannot be named, finally dressed and left.

Tansey is claiming sexual harassment, discrimination and constructive dismissal and has filed for 604,000 pounds damages for loss of earnings and hurt feelings.

But Damian McCarthy, who cross-examined Tansey, claimed that she had been complicit in the bawdy behaviour.

"You knew you were topless and were happy to expose yourself saying, ’It is only what you see on the beach every day’. You walked into the room leaving the door open," he stated.

The hearing continues.

Source-ANI
SRM


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