A car dealership in the U.K. is paying the price for alleged workplace discrimination.
Hartwell Ford, a franchised dealership network that operates throughout England, reportedly lost a discrimination case to a former employee who says they were excluded from monthly team lunches, Newsweek reports.
Receptionist Malgorzata Lewicka sued the dealership over the repeated snub, which occurred after she filed a sexual discrimination complaint against her boss at Hartwell Ford’s Hemel Hempstead branch in March 2018 – where she temporarily worked for two years.
When Lewicka was transferred to the dealership’s Watford branch following her complaint, she told the judge she was excluded from team lunches that were held on the last Friday of each month. Colleagues who worked in the same office would provide lunch orders for pizza and other takeout foods to management while Lewicka was routinely skipped.
Click the thumbs up >Ford has revealed that its ‘Signature’ corporate identity (CI) update will be introduced to all new build and refurbishments in its franchised retail network.
Subsequent enquiries have revealed details of the upgraded standards implemented at the facility, located near to Waylands Kia and Marshall Honda, off the A33 in Reading.
A Ford spokesperson told AM that the purpose of Signature was to keep the brand’s showrooms fresh and up-to-date, integrating digital marketing via Discover Ford and Service screens.
He added: “The digitally connected purpose is reinforced in new purchase rooms, where customers can talk in privacy with sales advisors and spec vehicles on-screen in the rooms.