Facts
Melissa Doyle, a well-educated woman who had worked with Zochem
Inc. for nine years, supervised an all-male group of refinery
workers. The workplace culture was dominated by the Maintenance
Supervisor's "male locker room" mentality. On
his office walls were pictures of scantily clad women. He
expected Ms. Doyle to act like "one of the boys", by
sharing details of her dating life, laughing at his lewd jokes and
engaging in otherwise unwelcome sexual banter. Ms. Doyle
depended on his assistance and support in her role as Plant
Supervisor.
In 2010, Ontario enacted Bill 168, which requires employers to
develop and implement policies and procedures to curb workplace
violence and harassment. Zochem engaged a third party to conduct a
workplace assessment and identify any issues of concern.
During the process, Ms. Doyle disclosed the harassment.
She hoped that the new legislation would help her by
improving the workplace, but without losing the
