A female Commerzbank manager who was described by her manager as having an "unhealthy obsession with work" won her sex discrimination claim for a second time.
Jagruti Rajput, a compliance officer in the London office, was denied a fair opportunity to be promoted into a senior role, a decision "tainted" by her sex, a London tribunal ruled. Her manager then proceeded to downplay the fact that he'd treated a male colleague as the senior member of the team.
"We concluded that the effect of the treatment was sufficient to create a degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the claimant," the tribunal said. It's the
London's employment tribunals are at the front line of unfair-dismissal claims between financial firms and employees, although sexual discrimination suits are often settled behind closed doors. Rajput's case has had an even longer history than most — she's been fighting her claim since 2017.
"We are, of course, disappointed with the decision of the employment tribunal but we as an employer remain committed to equal opportunities in our workplace," Commerzbank said. "We will consider appropriate next steps."
A lawyer representing Rajput didn't return messages seeking comment.
Rajput had less than a 15-minute interview with the former manager, who Bloomberg is not naming because of an existing order in Germany, for the role of head of markets compliance, according to the ruling. It said the manager had discriminated against Rajput by ruling her out of the process because he perceived her to be "divisive."
The manager then denied to Rajput that he'd appointed another individual to be acting head of the markets group when she raised it with him.
"It undermined me, made me doubt myself and think I was going mad when he knew exactly what he was doing," Rajput said in her evidence according to the
The former manager also described Rajput as having "an unhealthy obsession with work" after she dialed into a work call while early on maternity leave.
"We heard no evidence that he considered any man to have such an "unhealthy obsession" based on working long hours," the tribunal said.
