Sacked worker so ashamed he pretended to go to work

The court heard the man suffered a loss of dignity, and hurt feelings when he was fired on July 14 last year. Photo / iStock

A housing inspector sacked for being "overly friendly" with a colleague was so ashamed he did not tell his family, instead pretending to go to work.

Feleti Key's former employers, Programmed Facility Management (PFM), a Housing New Zealand contractor, has been ordered to pay him $20,000 for unjustified dismissal.

The Employment Relations Authority said Mr Key suffered humiliation, loss of dignity, and hurt feelings when he was fired on July 14 last year.

He was sacked when a woman who worked in a different PFM team raised concerns after the pair chatted for an hour at a car dealership and she texted him her phone number as they later drove back to work in the same car.

Mr Key denied sexually harassing the complainant, known as N, who said Mr Key had been "overly friendly" but never mentioned anything about sexual harassment.

"Mr Key says that he offered N coffees when he got up a couple of times to make himself a coffee while they were waiting for their vehicles to be serviced. Mr Key says he offered coffee to everyone who was waiting not just N," the authority said in its newly-released determination.

Mr Key was so upset, he didn't tell relatives he'd been sacked, and instead pretended to keep going to work, the authority heard.

"Mr Key says his distress was increased as a result of information that PFM filed shortly before the authority's investigation which suggested that there had been previous concerns regarding Mr Key's interaction with females. Mr Key strongly refutes such allegations and was shocked and humiliated that these issues (which he denies) had been put before the authority," authority member Rachel Larmer wrote.

"Mr Key gave evidence that he had been suffering physically, mentally and emotionally. He feels extreme embarrassment, shame and humiliation and describes feeling very belittled," Ms Larmer added.

"Mr Key's evidence was that these matters have led him to feel close to a breakdown. I find that Mr Key has been seriously and significantly adversely affected by his unjustified dismissal."

Ms Larmer said there was no evidence Mr Key engaged in any blameworthy conduct that would warrant a deduction in the money awarded to him.

NZME jw pd