Are modern gyms a sexual harassment hotbed?

​You won’t hear many easier ways to make £6,000 than how part-time gym employee Charlotte Newby came into her windfall. She claimed for a sexual harassment payout after hearing her male colleague David Saunders boast about his sex life saying this left her feeling ‘uncomfortable’. The court ruled in her favour saying that he sexually harassed her and ordered the gym in Ipswich called Functional Training Company to pay out £6,000. 

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Mr Saunders was a commercial director at the gym so in a position of authority over Charlotte Newby who was hired on a part time basis to work 20 hours per week on front of house duties. This makes his remarks even more astonishing as it is alleged he said in a conversation with Miss Newby and two other male colleagues that 'I used to get loads of women when I was younger before I met Katy and you wouldn't believe what I used to do with them, but our sex is good.’ He went on to say 'Don't you think Oliver that a woman should always swallow? Me and Katy go for it every night of the week. I wouldn't take any less.’

​In the modern workplace environment this makes David Saunders words complete madness although he says he has no recollection of the conversation. Charlotte Newby was fired from the gym before taking her harassment claim to the tribunal. She claimed that her dismissal was unfair but the tribunal ruled in the companies favour that she was only let go due to performance related issues. Mr Saunders was rightly fired for his part in the harassment case. 

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Gyms themselves have lots of issues with sexual harassment as women often complain of the misogynistic environment. In a 2017 article in Women’s Health magazine about sexual harassment in gyms a 33 year old woman said of her work outs in a North London gym ‘I noticed that one of the trainers would sexualise the movements that he was asking us to do and provide corrections in a similar manner,’ She went onto say ‘He’d correct deadlifts with directions to “bend over like you were taking it from behind”.’ This is just one example of many that gyms can be hotbeds of sexual harassment. Maybe we shouldn’t be so shocked at the behaviour of David Saunders in 2018 when instructors are doing the very same things.