A woman received £36,000 after facing sexual harassment at a Christmas party, highlighting workplace safety concerns.
Belfast: So, there’s this woman, Fernanda Hermosilla, who just settled a case about some pretty serious stuff that happened at a work Christmas party. She got £36,000 after claiming she was sexually harassed by a colleague. The payout was split between £21,000 from the colleague and £15,000 from her employer, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.
It all went down during a staff Christmas dinner back in December 2022. Fernanda said she faced unwanted physical contact from a colleague, and others saw it happen. When she got back to work, her employer told her they were looking into it after someone filed a complaint.
While they were investigating, Fernanda mentioned another incident where the same colleague had touched her inappropriately at a nightclub a few weeks earlier. She felt really upset about that but didn’t want to complain since she was new to the job.
During the investigation, Fernanda worked from the office while her colleague stayed home. But she still had to deal with him remotely, which was tough. After everything, she felt her employer didn’t keep her in the loop about what happened next or what actions were taken.
She thought the colleague wouldn’t come back to work, but then she found out he was returning. That really stressed her out. Fernanda also told her employer about some inappropriate comments he made that were racial and political, which they looked into as well. In the end, they settled without admitting any wrongdoing.
Fernanda described the whole experience as “very difficult” but felt good about standing up for herself. She said she didn’t ask for any of this and just wanted to start her new job in Belfast. Now, she’s relieved to have it behind her and wants to move on.
She hopes other women will realize they don’t have to put up with this kind of behavior at work or during parties. It’s important to know that employers should support them. Geraldine McGahey from the Equality Commission emphasized that employers need to keep their staff safe during these events and make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them.
In a statement, the Equality Commission said they recognize Fernanda as a valued employee and understand the distress she faced. They’re committed to reviewing their policies to ensure a safe workplace for everyone.
As part of the settlement, the colleague apologized, and they agreed to move forward and work together, even in person. They decided mediation wasn’t the way to go.