A young saleswoman was left stunned after discovering that her male colleagues, including her boss, had placed bets on who would be the first to sleep with her, an employment tribunal has heard.
Molly Craigie had only just joined East Anglia Home Improvements, a firm that describes itself as ‘the UK’s number one home improvement provider’, when the disturbing office ‘wager’ was allegedly made.
The tribunal was told the men involved ran what amounted to a ‘sex sweepstake’ – speculating over who would ‘bed’ the new starter first.
Craigie, then in her early twenties, told the hearing she was ‘sexualised and singled out’ simply because of her gender, and accused bosses of encouraging ‘locker room chat’ and inappropriate behaviour at the company.
She also claimed she was told to ‘use sex to make sales’ and to ‘flirt and flaunt herself’ with male customers.
Despite a tribunal judge ruling that the behaviour amounted to sexual harassment, Craigie’s claim was thrown out – because it was submitted too late.
However, she was awarded £4,775 in unpaid holiday entitlement by her former employer.
Molly Craigie had only just joined Anglian Home Improvements, a firm that describes itself as ‘the UK’s number one home improvement provider’, when the disturbing office ‘wager’ was allegedly made
East Anglia Home Improvements, a firm that describes itself as ‘the UK’s number one home improvement provider’
Judge Rebecca Peer, sitting at the Watford Employment Tribunal, ruled that the alleged bet was indeed ‘unwanted conduct of a sexual nature’ and found it ‘likely’ the incident took place as described.
In evidence, Craigie said that shortly after joining the firm in 2022, a co-worker told her that ‘two of my colleagues had placed a wager between themselves as to who would sleep with me first’.
She said she later learned that one of those involved in the alleged bet was a member of management.
The tribunal also heard that Craigie was told she’d been hired because ‘she would not intimidate elderly customers’.
But the saleswoman, who was described as a self-employed contractor, said the incident ‘stuck with me’ and added: ‘Colleagues sexualised me and singled me out, all down to my sex.’
Craigie’s job involved visiting potential customers who had shown interest in double glazing and other home improvement products, in an effort to close sales.
She claimed that before her colleagues were aware she was in a ‘long-term’ and ‘committed’ relationship, the inappropriate wager had already taken place.
Craigie, then in her early twenties, told the hearing she was ‘sexualised and singled out’ simply because of her gender
However, Judge Peer noted there was no evidence that Craigie had ‘directly confronted anyone about the wager or sought further information or even tried to ascertain whether the information given by [her colleague] was true.’
Still, the judge accepted that such behaviour in the workplace constituted sexual harassment, saying: ‘In principle, the making of a wager on those terms would amount to unwanted conduct of a sexual nature.’
Craigie’s legal complaint was dismissed on a technicality because it had been lodged ‘out of time’ but the tribunal accepted parts of her evidence and ruled she was entitled to unpaid holiday pay.
East Anglia Home Improvements was approached for comment.
