One of the smelliest cases of workplace bullying must go to the David Hingst case in Melbourne. The jury were put to task and had to decide whether dropping your guts beside someone (farting) and making them smell what you had for dinner last night is indeed bullying or not.
David Hingst worked at Construction Engineering in Melbourne in a small workspace. "I would be sitting with my face to the wall and he would come into the room, which was small and had no windows,” stated David in Court. David continued to speak about his boss “He would fart behind me and walk away. He would do this five or six times a day.” David eventually quit because of the smelly cards he kept getting dealt from his boss.
As a form of defence, David would spray the equivalent of Lynx deodorant at his boss! I'm assuming he didn't put a cigarette lighter in front of the can whilst doing this.
David Hingst also made the claim that other workers would phone him and bully him via their mobiles. Hingst claimed $1.8 million Aussie Dollars for damages.
Above: (photo of David Hingst outside the Court of Appeal in Melbourne"
David's boss stated that he "may have done it once or twice" and that there was no "intention of distressing or harassing" his worker David.
The outcome? Unfortunately for David the case was dismissed by the Court of Appeal so that meant no 1.8 million bucks for David.
Our takeaway, probably a good idea not to fart on your co-workers!
