Resolved complaint (151) about sex discrimination in employment

About the complaint

The complainant was employed as a marketing manager with the respondent real estate agency. She alleged the owner and two sales agents sexually harassed her, including by making comments of a sexual nature towards her and about other women in her presence. The complainant said she felt she had no option but to resign. She alleges that when she told the office manager she was resigning because she was sexually harassed, the office manager told her that if she made a formal external complaint, she would not be “hireable”. The complainant gained employment with a different respondent real estate agency and alleged she was made redundant once she disclosed her allegations of sexual harassment in her previous workplace. 

On being informed of the complaint, the respondents denied the allegations but agreed to participate in conciliation. 

The complaint was resolved with an agreement that the respondents jointly pay the complainant $45,000 as general damages and provide an outline of training delivered to their staff on sexual harassment.

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