Employees awarded $20K each for harassment at work

A government-appointed adjudicator has made an unprecedented decision by ordering a business owner to pay three of his former employees $20,000 each for harassing them at work.

Three employees, including Naseer Chaudhry and his wife Huma Chaudhry, complained to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission after facing harassment at work and through email.

Adjudicator Robert Lawson found that over the course of two years, the owner of A + Financial Services Limited created a toxic and intimidating work environment, and subjected two female employees to unwanted sexual advances.

Naseer Chaudhry said his boss frequently sent him inappropriate emails.

“Racist remarks, racist emails using words like ‘your people,’” Chaudhry said, referring to how his boss spoke about people with a Pakistani origin.

The boss once sent Naseer an email that included naked photos of a woman and an inappropriate comment about her displayed breasts.

Huma Chaudhry, Naseer’s wife, said the boss would stand close to her and place his hand on her lower back.

The adjudicator’s 36-page decision stated all three complainants were harassed about their race, sex and disabilities.

The Chaudhrys wanted to quit, but they were cash-strapped and felt trapped.

Eventually they left, and filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.

Yvonne Peters, the Commission’s chairperson said the adjudicator awarded the three complainants $5,000 more than what’s usually applied in these cases. The decision to award them $20,000 was unprecedented.

“It’s not so much about the money but it’s sending a clear message that this is not tolerable,” said Peters.

“You have to do something to stand up, and it’s not going to be easy. It never is,” said Naseer. ”But if you don’t do something, nothing will happen.“