
"Calling a man bald in the UK is sexual harassment." So decided a court there, after an employee complained that they called him bald. Tony Finn had worked for the West Yorkshire-based British Bung Company for almost 24 years when he was fired in May last year.
He complained to the court claiming, among other things, that he had been the victim of sexual harassment following an incident with the factory supervisor, Jamie King. Mr Finn claimed that during a brawl in the store, which almost erupted into violence in July 2019, King had referred to him as bald.
Hair loss is much more common in men than women, so using them to describe someone is a form of discrimination, a judge ruled. The decision, taken by a panel of three judges, who in their trial complained of hair loss, puts the "seal" on a dispute between a veteran electrician and the employers of his manufacturing firm.
The panel, chaired by Judge Jonathan Brain, considered the insult as bald indeed se * sual harassment.
The Trial Panel said: "In our judgment, there is a link between the word 'bald' on the one hand and the sec * characteristic on the other." The three members of the tribunal said that baldness is much more prevalent among men than women:
"We see that this term is essentially related to sex. Therefore, the tribunal decides that, referring to the plaintiff as bald, Mr. King's conduct was undesirable, it was a violation of the plaintiff's dignity, created a frightening environment for him, was done on purpose and related to the plaintiff's gender. "
In addition to upholding his allegation of sexual harassment, the court ruled that the company had unfairly dismissed him. Mr Finn's compensation will be determined at a later date. However, any payment will be reduced after the court ruled that he had contributed to the dismissal through his conduct.