METRO - TUESDAY 12 APRIL 2005

OOPS. MY BOSS IS A SPANK MANAGER

A dominatrix who gave up a job in a fantasy dungeon to work in a tax office had a surprise when her new boss turned out to be a former client.

Susan Peacher , who spanked clients with a paddle during her days as Mistress Celeste, bumped into Richard Soulam on her first day. She was then harassed by the 62 year old, who much preferred her in her old role, in which she wore a latex evening gown.

He told her she had luscious lips, tried to kiss her in a lift and asked her for 'sessions'. When she refused, he lowered her performance rating. She then took him to court after taping his phone calls and logging his emails.

Tax officials refused to admit liability but awarded the 45 year old £18,500 compensation and £13,200 costs in an out of court settlement. She said after the case: 'I don't think they expected me to fight as hard as I did.'

METRO - TUESDAY 12 APRIL 2005

I WANT £500,000 FOR INDECENT PROPOSAL

A director whose boss offered her £26,000 a year to be his lover is suing him for £500,000 damages.

Patricia MacKinnon was offered £1,000 to spend every other weekend with chairman Jack Parkinson after he became obsessed with her. Despite being told the idea appalled and disgusted her, Mr Parkinson, who is single after two failed marriages, persisted until she reported him in March 2003.

The 48 year old woman, who fears she will 'never be successful again', was forced to resign her post as managing director of Bromley Appointments.com in November 2003 and started legal proceedings against Mr Parkinson.

In March 2004, an employment tribunal found the 60 year old guilty of sex discrimination and unfair dismissal. It has reconvened to decide on damages after delays because Mr Parkinson fell ill with heart trouble. Mrs MacKinnon, of Bromley, Kent, who faces a £70,000 legal bill, said she got 'very low' and still suffered from anxiety and depression. The hearing continues.

HOW HR2all CAN HELP...

Correctly dealing with an employee's grievance can prevent a case from reaching a tribunal. For a step by step guide on what to do when an employee raises a complaint, together with the necessary documents, see Beprostaff@HR2all.

METRO - FRIDAY 8 APRIL 2005

'TOO OLD AND UGLY' BANKER WINS £15M

A banker has won a record £15.5 million payout after being called too old and too ugly for her job.

Laura Zubulake received the damages after being sacked as the £350,000 a year director of UBS's Asian shares desk on Wall Street four years ago. The 44 year old sued the Swiss bank – Europe's biggest – for sex discrimination. Her payout is thought to be a record for that type of claim.

Mrs Zubulake said that, during her two years with the bank, she had several problems with male executives. One was said to have told her she was too 'old and ugly and she can't do the job'. She added that she was belittled by her boss in front of her co-workers and denied lucrative contracts.

One boss invited her to a strip club and she claimed such trips were paid for on the company's expenses. Mrs Zubulake also claimed she was excluded from events organised for clients, including baseball games and two golf trips. She was sacked after she went to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

UBS argued she was not discriminated against and was sacked because she 'had performance problems' and was not a team player. However a Manhattan jury decided she should receive £4.8 million in compensation and £10.7 million in punitive damages. The bank is likely to appeal.

After the verdict, Mrs Zubulake said she hoped her victory would encourage 'all women on Wall Street who experience similar things'.

HOW HR2all CAN HELP...

Beprostaff@HR2all will keep you informed on the different forms of discrimination and how to avoid them on any grounds. Being aware could save you from becoming the next 'highest payout' record-breaker.

DAILY MAIL - SATURDAY 23 APRIL 2005

BA WOMAN PILOT WINS BATTLE TO WORK HALF-TIME

A woman pilot won her fight to be allowed to work 50 per cent part-time so that she can look after her baby daughter.

Jessica Starmer, 26, had claimed sex discrimination after British Airways refused her request on the grounds that it was 'a safety issue, not one of gender'. The airline's rules say pilots should have at least 2,000 flying hours before they can work at 50 per cent levels. Mrs Starmer, who joined BA four years ago, has 1,100 hours. However an employment tribunal upheld her complaints against the airline of discrimination and failing to offer flexible working under regulations introduced in 2002.

After the case, employers said they fear the ruling means 'the floodgates will be open' for staff to demand to work fewer hours. Mrs Starmer , from Wareham, Dorset, whose husband Simon is also a BA pilot, said she was delighted by the panel's decision. 'I believed my request for flexible working was reasonable, justified and in accordance with the dual responsibilties I hold as a worker and a parent. All I wanted was to make sure my daughter was cared for properly while continuing in a career into which both my employer and I have invested lots of time and money', she added.

General Secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association, Jim McAuslan said: 'This judgement is a wake up call to employers that they have to give workers, whether men or women, far better reasons for refusing to allow them to work part-time. They cannot simply say they can't afford it, or that their business will be compromised. There's a change under way where people are looking for a better work-life balance and employers in all professions need to be far more accommodating'.

HOW HR2all CAN HELP...

Beprostaff@HR2all will enable you to deal with all requirements related to flexible working. These include the creation of an application form, letters to arrange meetings to discuss flexible working, an application reply letter etc.

BUSINESS LINK FOR LONDON - FRIDAY 08 APRIL 2005

'CAREER SEXISM' FUELS GENDER DIVIDE

Young people are being forced into jobs seen as traditional to their sex, the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) claims.

The EOC study said many young people are missing out on careers advice, work experience and on the job training which is stunting their development and widening the UK's skills gap. The situation is particularly bad for females who often face restricted choices and lower rates of pay than their male counterparts, it said.

Salaries in the childcare sector dominated by women are half or less than in areas like engineering and plumbing, which are mostly made up of male workers.

EOC warned recruiters were failing to acknowledge that many young people are interested in varied types of work outside the 'norm' but are instead channelling youngsters into jobs traditional to their sex. Although four fifths of girls and half of boys claimed they would be interested in taking on a job normally targeted at the opposite sex, only one sixth of young people as a whole had received any relevant careers information.

Currently, just 2% of construction apprenticeships are filled by women despite 12% being interested in pursuing a career in the sector. Similarly, only 3% of childcare apprentices are male although a quarter of boys were keen.

Julie Mellor, chair of the EOC, said: 'Girls from lower socio-economic groups are often ending up in lower paid work than boys, despite doing well at school. Opportunities for some boys to take up the work that suits them are also being blocked. Britain can't go on letting young people down - the choices they make at an early age affect their whole lives and the economy suffers if employers can't get the right mix of skills and talents'.

HOW HR2all CAN HELP...

Beprostaff@HR2all can help you prepare an equal opportunities policy and a job application form correctly tailored to record equal opportunities data. Make sure you're not missing out on potentially skilled workers by sticking to gender stereotypes.