A former supermarket manager has won a sex discrimination claim, and nearly 60,000, after being subjected to misogynistic abuse and victim-blaming by her employer, a tribunal found.

Deborah Oziel, who worked for Sainsbury’s as a customer trading manager (CTM), complained that a male colleague repeatedly swore at her, calling her a “bitch” in front of customers and staff.

According to the judgment, published on 9 September, Matthew Henderson, a more junior colleague, also threatened to buy an imitation gun to intimidate Oziel. The tribunal heard that Henderson did not behave in the same way towards male managers. Another store manager admitted that “two male CTMs had no problem [with Henderson] but ... Deborah had ongoing issues”.

The tribunal concluded that Oziel was treated less favourably because of her sex, noting that the term “bitch” is “primarily used against women”. The judge found that Oziel was unfairly blamed for Henderson’s aggression, despite following company policy by turning on her body camera during confrontations.

The tribunal treated “bitch” as sex-related language and noted that there was no evidence of similar conduct toward male colleagues.

When working to eliminate misogyny at work, culture change, clear policies, training, and open communication is required, said Aisling Foley, an associate in the employment law team at SAS Daniels, speaking to HR magazine.

“Practical steps include regular training for staff, specific training for managers on...

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