Saleswoman Details Sexist Office Nightmare in Employment Tribunal
Molly Craigie, a 24-year-old double-glazing saleswoman, has spoken out about a degrading sexist ordeal at her former workplace, where colleagues placed a sordid bet over which of them would "bed her first." The shocking incident, which followed a string of sexualised comments, led her to take her former employers, East Anglian Home Improvements, to an employment tribunal.
Degrading Comments and a Crude Bet
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Ms Craigie expressed her dismay at being judged on her appearance rather than her skills. "I want people to judge me on my skills not on how I look or what I wear…It was really degrading," she said. The sales team, led by her line manager Filipe Goncalves, included another manager and two male sales representatives, where sexualised banter was rampant.
According to tribunal documents, Mr Goncalves was behind the bet about who could sleep with Ms Craigie first, which was shared among team members. He allegedly told her, "It's hard not to look at your a*se when the skirt falls in all the right places," and made other sexist remarks regularly, typically twice a week. In one instance, after a potential sale fell through, he suggested she should have slept with the buyer to secure the deal.
A Culture of Sexism from the Start
Ms Craigie joined the Norwich-based windows firm in September 2022 at age 21, and the sexist culture became apparent almost immediately. Mr Goncalves began asking about her sex life and making crude jokes. Three months into her role, where she was earning over £3,000 a month in commission alone, she learned of the crude bet. "Mr Goncalves and another colleague had placed a wager between themselves as to who would sleep with me first," she testified.
Despite complaining about the behaviour, she was often dismissed, and the harassment continued. "I am not a stiff person, I can take a joke and banter but there comes a point where it is just not funny and that line was crossed numerous times," she said. She highlighted the power imbalance, noting she was young and the only woman on the team, making her feel like "easy prey."
Encouragement to Flirt and Ignore Harassment
The tribunal heard that Mr Goncalves encouraged Ms Craigie to "flaunt herself and flirt with male customers" to boost sales. When she reported that a customer had behaved in a sexualised manner, she was advised to ignore it. These incidents persisted even after she disclosed her long-term relationship with a boyfriend.
After nine months of enduring this torment, Ms Craigie left the company and later filed a complaint. Mediation attempts failed, leading her to take the case to a tribunal in Watford last year. A 54-page report named Mr Goncalves as the primary protagonist, detailing the graphic comments and bet.
Tribunal Outcome and Lasting Impact
Judge Rebecca Peer accepted Ms Craigie's evidence, stating, "The claimant's evidence is clear that this comment was made, and it stuck with her and I accept this evidence, I find there is no reason not to find her credible as to this." However, Ms Craigie lost on technical grounds because her claim was filed too late under time limit rules.
Reflecting on the outcome, Ms Craigie said, "In essence the judge agreed with me but what's worse is that the people involved are getting on with their lives as if nothing happened and I am the one who has been left to pick up the pieces." She described feeling "shell shocked" and suffering from anxiety as a result of the experience.
Moving Forward and a Call for Change
Ms Craigie, who made over £30,000 in commission during her nine months at East Anglian, emphasised her success as a saleswoman based on hard work and honesty, not flirting. "I enjoy sales, I'm still working in sales, I like talking to people and I'm a good saleswoman," she said. "But they just felt the best way to get sales was by flirting with the customers and that's not what I believe in."
Three years later, the ordeal still haunts her. "It was really degrading; I want people to judge me on my skills and all East Anglian could do was judge me on how I look and what I wore," she added. She hopes her story will protect other women from similar experiences. "You would hope that in this day and age, people wouldn't think like this, with all that's going on in the world, and it makes it terrifying because you are not safe to be who you want to be."
In the tribunal, Ms Craigie did win an unpaid holiday claim, resulting in the firm being ordered to pay £4,775. An attempt by East Anglian to recover £7,500 in legal costs was dismissed. When contacted by the Daily Mail, Mr Goncalves, who no longer works for the firm, said, "I have no comment to make and I have no recollection of what she said. I'm at work, goodbye." East Anglian Home Improvements was also approached for comment.
