Outback Steakhouse Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
And it's big bucks!
Outback Steakhouse has agreed to pay $19 million dollars to female employees who worked at the chain from 2002 to the present for at least 3 years.
According the the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the company frequently discriminated against its female employees by not promoting them to higher-level management positions and denying them "favorable job assignments" that would propel them to a higher position.
Shame on them!
Examples of their discrimination include male managers making comments about female managers letting them down and how they "lose focus" once they have children!
Now the women who worked at Outback during this period and feel they've been discriminated against are encouraged to fill out a claim to get their hands on some of that ca$$$h!
Outback also must implement an online application system as well as create a new job for an executive Human Resources manager in addition to hiring an outside consultant to make sure the company is complying with the settlement terms and providing female employees equal opportunities in their job.
Sounds like they need a babysitter now to keep them on track!
Recently appointed CEO of Outback's parent company OSI Restaurant Partners, Liz Smith, says:
"There is no glass ceiling at OSI, and we do not tolerate discrimination in any form. I have a profound commitment to ensuring not only equal, but very compelling and rewarding employment opportunities for all individuals and I look forward to building on the processes already in place at Outback to ensure we live up to that standard every day."
Hopefully with a female CEO things will start to change over there. As if the company paying $19 million isn't enough incentive!
[Image via Getty Images.]
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It must really be run by Australians.
That's not sexual harassment you idiot. That's gender discrimination.
Sorry but it's hard to believe you are sympathizing with this cause Perez.
Not with all the nasty misogynistic posts you write all the time.
ha, I work there…and its too bad im a man or else I would defffffff cash in on some of that MONEY!
Yay, now the menu prices are gonna go up. Can't they just apologize and move on?
Really Perez?
I worked at Outback for about 4 years. We had a lot of fun, but we had a lot of problems, too. I finally quit because we had a manager who would make lewd comments to the girls and do things like walking behind us at the hostess station (where there was no where to move) and rub himself against our backs. Nasty.
We complained to upper management several times with no intervention. Finally, we all went out to a pool hall one night with Manager Perv in tow. He kept making passes at me and trying to touch me, and I told him several times to stop or he would regret it. He made one more attempt, and I took my pool stick and smacked him across the face as hard as I could. When I came in the next day to resign, he had a purple line across his cheekbone about the width of a pool stick…it was beautiful! He didn't dare pursue anything against me because he knew ever girl in that store was waiting to have their turn to rat his disgusting behavior out to anyone who would listen.
FINALLY. Can't wait to start on my paperwork.
Outback sucks - bad service - bad food
Pretty disappointing behavior from Outback Steakhouse, but it isn't sexual harassment–it's discrimination.
JoyfulGrrl: it's great that you whacked that a$$ with a stick, but don't ever let things get that far in future. The longer you put up with creepy behavior, the higher the chance that the creep will escalate his behavior and do something even more wacko. In future you need to report that stuff right away! I'm not usually a PSA type, but I deal with a lot of stalked/abused women at my job and it is sad that so many awful things happen because women don't report a creep when they have the chance.
outback steakhouse has the shittiest food I have ever eaten in my life..
Purrreeee shit..
They have great food
Re: JoyfulGrrl – If you weren't such a whore that never would have happened.
Pay up, Outback. If mamma ain't happy, no one's happy.
Yeah the aussie mentallity caught up with them. I guess they wont be recruiting any more with the incentive you get sleep with every hot girl you hire.
Liz Smith one of the legends of gossip left her gig to manage a group of shitty restaurants, does this mean a new future for Perez in say waste management is in his future.
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I know not that Liz Smith.
I work with a few women managers that were selected for promotion based on thier inability to handle problems. They are a bunch of dumb fucks.
I'm not sexist, but FORCING the promotion of women is a stupid idea. The bitch I report to is fucking clueless. I still wonder who she sucked off to get the job.
Out back is still in business? THey all went bust ages ago.
well all of that is TRUE! i worked for CARRABBA'S (another restaurant they own) for 5 years. In that time i saw 4 Males promoted to management, 0 females were promoted. I quit!! I am now a manager for a 4* restaurant!! That company really needs to be babysat.
Re: Apt. 54 – Re: Apt. 54 – Sweetie, it was and is, run by americans and so typical of american society and culture. Maybe you also think the global crisis was not a result of the greed of american business!
Re: hotelslut – Almost every Australian has never heard of this american company. And you are right, Australians are so grateful they have so little in common with american society culture honesty and business ethics. Which country will the USA invade in this new decade?
Outback Steakhouse serves American cuisine, with Creole influences. Founded in February 1988 in Tampa, Florida, The Outback Steakhouse has a strong "Australian" outback theme with (ROLF) no basis in reality. Thus the discrimination is no surprise.
Their Bloomin' Onion was legendary, for onion lovers.
Sorry, but many women do lose focus for work after having a baby. Then the single employees or male employees have to pick up the slack.
yes shame shame shame on them!!!!
I love how everyone bases assumptions of a compnay as a whole based off of an incident in one state. I am 27 yrs old and a partner at my own Outback. I feel badly for these women but its not fair to judge this company on one incident. The region I work for has always treated me with the upmost respect and Ive never been held back because of my gender. I only think its fair to hear it from a female that has experienced the positive experience of this company
I experienced this discrimination. I hope that this brings some attention to the unfair treatment, and resolves the issues this company struggles with.
Re: Big Black Dick – Clearly you would be part of the problem…