HR worker sues for sexual harassment after his boss asked him in front of his colleagues which celebrities he’d like to have a threesome with, tribunal told
- Keith Macintosh claims manager asked who would be in his fantasy ‘manwich’
A HR worker is suing for sexual harassment after his boss asked which celebrities he would like to have a threesome with.
Keith Macintosh claims his manager, who is named in tribunal documents only as Mr Bullock, wanted to know in front of colleagues which famous people he would like to be in his fantasy ‘manwich’.
Despite being pressed to answer by his fellow staff, he refused to respond and is now claiming that the question was ‘unwanted conduct of a sexual nature’ which ‘violated his dignity’.
However, his former employers Eurochange told a preliminary hearing that the comments made during a meeting of the HR team in Feburary this year were ‘clearly banter’.
The tribunal in Manchester was told Mr Macintosh worked for the foreign currency exchange company until earlier this year and made a number of claims against Mr Bullock.
Keith Macintosh claims his manager (pictured), who is named in tribunal documents only as Mr Bullock, wanted to know in front of colleagues which famous people he would like to be in his fantasy ‘manwich’
The HR worker said Mr Bullock ‘belittled’ him at work. He said that the ‘manwich’ incident took place on February 8 of this year during a meeting of the HR team in Stevenage, Beds.
‘Mr Bullock asked [Mr Macintosh] who would be in his fantasy ‘manwich’ meaning who would he want to include in a fantasy sexual threesome,’ a report by Employment Judge Helen Cookson said.
‘[He] says he refused to answer and then was pressed to answer by Mr Bullock and others present during the meeting.
‘[He] alleges that this was unwanted conduct of a sexual nature which had the purpose or effect of violating his dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.’
In deciding to allow his claim of sexual harassment to proceed to a full hearing, EJ Cookson said: ‘Enquiring into somebody’s sexual preferences in this way, even if it intended to be light-hearted, may be unwanted and is clearly conduct of a sexual nature.
‘Mr Macintosh has told me that not only was it unwanted but that he had made it clear it was unwanted because he refused to answer and was still pressed to give an answer by several people when it must have been clear he did not want to.’
Keith Macintosh former employers Eurochange told a preliminary hearing that the comments made during a meeting of the HR team in Feburary this year were ‘clearly banter’ (Stock Photo)
Mr Macintosh is also claiming he was the victim of disability discrimination and constructive dismissal.
Other incidents included in his claim are that Mr Bullock ‘belittled’ him by telling him how to conduct an investigation and probation meeting and showing him how to copy and paste from a document and then send.
The allegations will be heard in full at a later date after EJ Cookson rejected Eurochange’s request to strike out the claims.
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