Woman left horrified when her photo was used in a work promotional poster with the slogan ‘Feel great – lubricate!’ is awarded a HUGE payout
- Customer service worker’s photo used on a misleading workplace safety poster
- The photo was beside highly suggestive text which prompted sexual comments
- Reem Yelda couldn’t face co-workers and left her job after making a complaint
A woman featured in a spine safety poster urging her male-dominated workplace to ‘Feel great – lubricate!’ has been awarded $200,000 in damages.
Customer service worker Reem Yelda lodged a sexual harassment claim in 2017 over how she had been portrayed in promotional material posted around Sydney Water facilities.
In large letters above an image of Ms Yelda stretching was the phrase: ‘Feel great – lubricate!’
This safety poster produced by Sydney Water and Vitality Works resulted in a massive payout to the woman pictured, Reem Yelda, who could not face her colleagues after receiving suggestive remarks when it was published
A male worker who encouraged Ms Yelda to make a complaint in April 2016, said his first impression of the poster was seeing the woman pointing to ‘lubricate’.
He only realised it was part of an injury prevention program when he read the whole poster, he told the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Ms Yelda left the workplace soon after making the complaint.
Sydney Water, which lost an appeal against NCAT’s finding of sexual harassment, said it accepted Ms Yelda suffered some embarrassment and distress.
But that was moderated by her lack of immediate reaction when first seeing the poster in March 2016 and her comment ‘I don’t want to make a big deal about this at this stage’ when complaining about the poster in April 2016.
She’d also circulated the poster nationally in the media, Sydney Water said.
Vitality Works, which produced the poster, apologised but said there was a clear link between its breach and Ms Yelda’s subsequent medical and employment issues.
Sydney Water and Vitality Works each paid Ms Yelda $100,000 over the poster
Both companies contended damages of about $10,000 was appropriate.
But, having found Ms Yelda a ‘credible, reliable and honest’ witness, NCAT accepted she’d suffered psychological harm and loss of income.
Despite being regarded as a good and competent worker in the male-dominated workforce, the former customer liaison officer couldn’t face people at Sydney Water after the poster was displayed, the tribunal said.
NCAT calculated her loss and damage at $318,280 but could not award more than $100,000 against each respondent.
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