She Was FIRED For What She Wore To Work…Did Her Boss Go Too Far? [PHOTOS]

Legal experts are cautioning Albertans to know their rights, especially around dress-code discrimination, after a woman says she was fired from a north Edmonton Honda dealership because of her outfit.

Caitlin Bernier has filed a human rights complaint against Alberta Honda after she claims she was told her long-sleeve crew neck and dress pants violated the company dress code and made her male colleagues uncomfortable.

Bernier wrote in her complaint, “I was fired for wearing an ‘inappropriate outfit’ to work, This was the same outfit I was hired in.”

Experts say Bernier’s dismissal is a case study in the constrained, complex rights of probationary workers, Alberta human rights law, and the ongoing discrimination women face in male-dominated industries.

Outfit

Bernier said, who was a recent hire and enrolled in the company’s employee training program.

“I just feel super discriminated against over this whole thing.”

“I feel really wrongfully treated. I don’t deserve to lose my job because of a shirt.”

Management with Alberta Honda denies Bernier’s claims of discrimination.

In an emailed statement to CBC News, management said its office dress code is enforced equally and no employee would be fired for a single violation.

Bernier, 20, said she was fired from the dealership at 9525 127th Ave. on Sept. 11 after a female colleague approached her in the office.

She said she was told her shirt was see-through, violated the company dress code, and was making some male colleagues uncomfortable. She later told CBC News she had worn the same outfit to her job interview at the beginning of the month and was told it fit the store’s business-casual expectations.

Outfit

Bernier said her female colleague told her to cover up with a sweater or go home. Instead, Bernier met immediately with an internal human resources representative.

Bernier said, whose Facebook post recounting the incident has generated more than 14,000 comments since Sept. 11.

“I felt really uncomfortable. I was upset and embarrassed.”

Bernier said the human resources person allowed her to leave until her manager returned to the office. She went home.

About an hour later she got a call from the dealership’s general manager. He told her she was fired because of a dress code violation, Bernier said.

I feel discriminated against being the only female salesperson and not being given an opportunity to expression my opinion to the GM or for him to even see what I was wearing. Working here I have experienced sexually comments from male staff, but my top ‘made the males uncomfortable.’ I am writing this post to show that FEMALE WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION is a real thing!”

Brenier has filed a human rights complaint against the dealership claiming that she was the victim of gender discrimination. However, the dealership remains steadfast that they did not discriminate against her, claiming that this wasn’t the first time that this lady had violated the policy.

“It’s only if an employee refuses to comply with the dress code when given an opportunity, if they continued to violate the dress code on multiple occasions or if there were other issues surrounding their performance that we would consider taking further action,” the statement reads. “We have reviewed the situation in question and are confident that our managers dealt with it appropriately given all of the circumstances involved.”

On the other hand, this lady is claiming that she was not given any warning whatsoever, and the dealership simply dismissed her without evaluating other aspects of her employment.

There is no question that there is a large gray area when it comes to gender dress codes in the workplace. This is probably one of those situations where we should reserve judgment and just wish both this lady and her former place of employment the best going forward.

Sources: Trendingrightwing, Taphaps, Torontosun

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