Employee wins lawsuit against Apple over secret photo incident

Apple has been found guilty of “unfairly” firing an employee at its London office for taking secret photos of a female colleague and sharing them with co-workers, according to a report. The telegraph.

The case concerns Christoph Sieberer, who worked as a process analyst. The judge ruled in favour of Mr Sieberer, who had brought the case to the employment tribunal after being dismissed for harassment.

Mr Sieberer reportedly stole two photos of a female colleague working at Apple’s Battersea Power Station offices without her knowledge. He shared one in a group chat and sent the other to a male colleague who had a crush on her. Apple’s investigation found this to be sexual harassment and a breach of company policy, leading to Mr Sieberer losing his job last year. However, Judge N Walker disagreed, calling the decision unfair.

The situation erupted when a co-worker reported the incident to management after seeing one of the photos. Mr. Sieberer and his co-worker were fired. Judge Walker lambasted Apple’s murky harassment policies.

While acknowledging the invasion of privacy caused by the photos, the judge noted that cameras are everywhere these days. Although Mr. Sieberer admitted his wrongdoing, the judge held him responsible.

The court would later decide on damages, possibly reducing Mr. Sieberer’s award by 10%, not 100% as Apple had sought. Apple’s handling of harassment complaints has drawn criticism, leading to policy changes aimed at a more equitable workplace.