Mr. T alleged that the “fun” culture at the company included “degrading and intrusive practices” including taunting, rude nicknames and being forced to share her bed with another employee during work functions.
In a ruling this month, the Court of Cassation said the man had the right to “freedom of expression” and that refusing to participate in public activities was a “fundamental freedom” under labor and human rights laws and was not grounds for his dismissal.
The man was hired by Cubik Partners as a general counsel in February 2011 and promoted to director in February 2014, according to court documents. He was fired in March 2015 for “professional incompetence” after allegedly failing to adhere to the firm’s core values.
The company also criticized his sometimes “brittle and discouraging tone” towards his subordinates and alleged his inability to accept feedback and differing views.
Cubik Partners did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
It’s not the first time a company’s drinking culture has come under the microscope in court proceedings. A number of recent incidents have highlighted the place of alcohol in white-collar professional culture, even after this incident. The #MeToo movement was in the spotlight on workplace violations globally. Some firms have introduced “alcoholic drinks” at company events, hoping to avoid such problems.
An auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers in England is suing the company for serious injuries he suffered in a work event that made “excessive” drinking a “competitive virtue,” in a lawsuit filed at London’s High Court. this year. Michael Brockie fell into a coma after attending a company event and had part of his skull removed, The Post reports.
Insurance market in March Lloyd’s of London Member firm Atrium Underwriters fined a record £1 million (about $1.2 million) for “serious failings” including a “lads’ night” in which employees, including two senior managers, “participated in inappropriate initiation games and excessive drinking” did sexual comments about female colleagues,” the Guardian wrote at the time.
France is among the most liberal countries in the world in terms of alcohol consumption. The legal minimum age for drinking alcohol in public is 18, but there are no regulations on private consumption of alcohol.
Taylor Telford contributed to this report.
