A female banker who was sexually harassed by her colleague has been awarded almost £18,500, following a tribunal ruling.
Bank of Ireland employee Natasha McNicholl, 31, won her case in 2019, but an anonymisation order had prevented her or the employer being named, until now.
During the hearing, McNicholl told judges she experienced inappropriate and unwarranted behaviour between 2015 and 2016, including inappropriate comments about her looks, and touching and pulling hair.
The tribunal ruled that the sexual harassment had repeatedly violated her dignity.
The Bank of Ireland has since apologised to McNicholl and said it regretted what happened.
However, McNicholl says her case shows employers must do more to protect women at work.
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Speaking after two years, she said her employer failed in its duty of safety. The former employee said she did not want what happened to her to be "hidden under a cloak of anonymity".
"This man subjected me and other female employees to sexual harassment," she said.
"The Bank of Ireland failed to protect me from sexual harassment. This whole experience has gone on for a very long time and has been tough for me and my family."
McNicholl told the tribunal she reported the incidents to managers at the Bank of Ireland who asked her harasser to apologise and cut all contact.
However, the man continued to subject her to sexual harassment even after her formal complaint.
He was later suspended after further concerns had been raised by McNicholl about his behaviour.
During the hearing, judges also heard evidence that another female employee also reported harassment by the same man in 2016 and other employees were aware of it.
The tribunal concluded that his conduct towards McNicholl was clearly in breach of the harassment policy of the Bank of Ireland and it questioned whether the managers dealing with the incident had any relevant knowledge of the policy.
The Bank of Ireland accepted, in evidence, that training had been inadequate - mandatory "Dignity at Work" training only commenced in the year after the events.
With the support of the Equality Commission, McNicholl appealed the anonymisation order and the tribunal subsequently decided that McNicholl, the Bank of Ireland, and other persons named in the judgement could be named publicly.
The harasser and the other women who had experienced sexual harassment are not named.
McNicholl was awarded £18,483 by the tribunal.
Geraldine McGahey, chief commissioner of the Equality Commission, said it took a "great deal of courage and perseverance" on McNicholl's part to pursue the claim of sex discrimination and "to stick with it until she was free to speak out".
"This judgement though, is about more than the fact that sexual harassment occurred and how it was dealt with," she said.
"This is about considering and balancing the rights of everyone involved in how a case is reported."
In a statement, the Bank of Ireland said it fully accepted the decision adding that the harassment was "totally unacceptable".
"We deeply regret that McNicholl was subjected to this harassment, share her disappointment that it has taken so long to resolve and would like to sincerely apologise to her," it said.
"We are focused on continuing to create a culture and work environment where all colleagues' right to dignity at work is respected, with zero tolerance for bullying, harassment or inappropriate behaviour."
The statement added that the bank did not seek an anonymity order in this case, nor did it oppose the Equality Commission's application to reveal relevant names.
