UK NEWS

DISABLED WOMAN BULLIED BY CO-WORKERS

Sue Foss played the fool to hide her humiliation

Wednesday October 31,2007

By Emily Garnham

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A DISABLED woman was bullied, jeered at and sexually harassed by work colleagues at her office Christmas party, a tribunal was told yesterday.

Sue Foss was also ordered to go ten-pin bowling on a team building exercise, even though she could not hold a bowling ball.

The 46-year-old from East Sussex suffers from disabilities caused by the drug thalidomide, which has left her with just three fingers on one hand and on the other her fingers are just an inch long.

“I explained that because of my disability I could not do this, but I was told that as a new manager I was expected to be there”, she said.

“I was told to get my tits out to distract the other team.”

The court also heard how she “acted the fool” to cover how humiliated she was at having to use the child’s ramp at the bowling alley.

They cheered as pieces of bread hit her cleavage

Ms Foss showed Ashford Employment Tribunal a certificate that colleagues presented her with after bowling, awarding her the title “Mega Flops”.

She described the office Christmas party as the “final straw”. Before the event she was advised to cover her legs but “make sure the puppies were on display”.

The ultimate humiliation came when a colleague asked if she was a retired hooker. The court then heard how co-workers proceeded to aim pieces of bread at her cleavage, cheering as they hit their target.

Ms Foss who was sales manager for Dore, a Sidcup based company that specialises in therapy for dyslexic children, was even harassed by her own boss.

Bob Clark was sacked in August after he was found to have sent inappropriate messages from his company phone. Before his dismissal, he organised a company roller-skating trip. Ms Foss, who was on sick-leave at the time, said:

“He said he was looking forward to seeing me trying to roller-skate with my gammy leg and that then I would not be able to get away from him.”

Ms Foss recalled the day she found the courage to leave: “I just felt I couldn’t go on. I was driving to work in Sidcup and I got to a roundabout and thought ‘I can’t do this’ and about-turned and drove home.”

SICK

31.10.07, 10:16pm

It makes me sick that people still have these attitudes. It's one thing not understanding a condition and being plain ignorant but this is deliberatly taking the rise out of a woman who clearly had the skills possessed to even be given the job then use her as a figure of fun outside of the workplace. If she wasn't disabled, would her boss have said those things? I don't think so, he'd be too frightened off a court case on his hands and why think that this lady wouldn't take the same action simply because she's disabled? Does she deserve it? No, those people working for a company associated with Dyslexia should all be sacked as Dyslexia surely involves some compassion and they are clearly all a bunch of idiots.

• Posted by: DaniLee83 • Report Comment

BULLIES

31.10.07, 10:08pm

what was Dore's HR department doing about this bullying. I hope Dore land up paying her thousands for her she has been treated.

• Posted by: melissa • Report Comment

DISABLED WOMAN BULLIED AT WORK.

31.10.07, 6:20pm

The rotten pigin culprits and their bosses should all have 5 minutes with me in the boxing ring so I could teach them "respect for others" the whole lot are ratbags and buttwipes.

• Posted by: Robertz • Report Comment