Woman’s huge payout after being micromanaged by boss

An Australian woman who suffered under a boss with an “overbearing micromanagement style” will receive a huge payout.

An Australian woman has won a huge payout in a case against her former employer for how she was treated by a boss with an “overbearing micromanagement style”.

The employee worked at Hawkesbury Race Club in NSW from 1991 to 2017, and the boss was employed as the chief executive officer in 2016.

At the time Vivienne Leggett was the sponsorship and marketing manager, a position she had held since 2005.

The Federal Court of Australia ordered Mrs Leggett be paid in total about $2.8 million last month.

The court had found the club was negligent in failing to protect her from the risk of psychiatric injury.

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The long-time manager will be paid in total about $2.8m. Picture: iStock

Judge Steven Rares said in his judgment published back in February, HRC chief executive Greg Rudolph had “bullied and harassed Mrs Leggett from the outset of his role”.

“In my opinion, the Club’s conduct, through Mr Rudolph, effectively destroyed Mrs Leggett’s life,” Justice Rares said.

“She cannot work and, as the joint experts agreed, is permanently incapacitated from doing so because of Mr Rudolph’s and the Club’s conduct.

“That conduct caused a very serious psychiatric illness that may never be cured, or ameliorated to any significant degree.”

The experts were psychiatrists who agreed that the chief executive’s conduct towards Mrs Leggett caused her to suffer a significant depressive disorder with anxiety that left her unemployable.

Mr Rudolph was frequently critical of Mrs Leggett and had complained she was paid too much money. He denied this but Justice Rares did not accept it.

Vivienne Leggett was the sponsorship and marketing manager at Hawkesbury Race Club. Picture: Jenny Evans/Getty Images

Mrs Leggett’s lawyer Brett Gilbert of Gilberts Legal accused the race club and Racing NSW of refusing to accept any responsibility “for what can only be described as disgraceful behaviour”.

“Instead of investigating her complaints, they cast Mrs Leggett aside after 25 years loyal service and made her fight them in court for over five years to obtain her justice, unsuccessfully appealing every decision that went against them along the way, and never once acknowledging any wrongdoing,” he said, according to Hawkesbury Post.

“This case is a salutary warning to all employers that they need to take allegations of bullying seriously and that they should be proactive in monitoring and responding to the risks to mental health to which bullying can expose its employees.”

Originally published as Woman’s huge payout after being micromanaged by boss