Executives at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce's London office kept a book full of "sexually suggestive comments" about women for a decade, in the latest employment tribunal case to shine a light on banking's sexist culture.
The allegations about the joke book formed part of an employment suit brought by Zhuofang Wei, an executive director, who lost her sexual discrimination case against the bank. The comments, which were read out at the annual Christmas party, were full of innuendos, she said.
London's predominantly male financial institutions have been heavily criticized for laddish cultures that allow offensive behavior against women to become normal. Workplace "banter" is
"The quote book, and the celebration of it every year at the Christmas party, fostered a culture in which the making of sexually suggestive comments about women was regarded as normal and acceptable," Judge Holly Stout said in a ruling published this week.
However, Stout ruled that Wei herself was a "willing and active participant" in the book and her claims that it made her uncomfortable didn't reflect the reality at the time. Wei's sex and race discrimination claims against CIBC were dismissed. She won a separate claim for being "victimized" over the date her employment ended.
"I am very disappointed the employment tribunal reached the conclusion that they had," Wei said in an emailed statement. "I wanted to be able to tell my story because in my career I have known so many women who suffered unfair treatment but were not as privileged as I am to be able to bring their claim before an employment tribunal."
The team member that organized the long-running book alleged it created a "convivial atmosphere" in the group but agreed during the hearings that it was demeaning to women and could be misconstrued. The book was ended after the switch to lockdown home-working.
Wei, who earned a total compensation of £247,250 ($285,980) in 2019, said she was told not to tell anyone outside the team about the book and was afraid to not participate in case she was shunned.
"CIBC is firmly committed to having a culture of care for our clients, our communities, and importantly for our own team, and it is expected that each of us foster an inclusive, respectful and equitable workplace," a spokesperson for the bank said.
