The Minas Gerais Labor Court sentenced a company in the Pouso Alegre region, in the southern region of the state, to pay a compensation for moral damages for a professional who, during an internal “election” in the company, was elected the “Queen of Absenteeism”. The decision was announced on December 17th.
According to the decision, the internal dynamics organized by management placed women in a humiliating situation, since the term treats employees with alleged absences and delays in a pejorative way.
The company was also ordered to pay R$5,000 to former employee. In addition to financial compensation, the court recognized the request for indirect termination of the employment contract.
Internal voting and vexatious exposure
The case occurred in December 2024, when a company coordinator promoted an online vote entitled “Best of the Year 2024”.
According to the evidence presented in the process, such as screenshots of WhatsApp messages, the form included categories such as “The ass kisser of 2024”, “The Wanderer”referring to those who circulated a lot around the company, in addition to the category of “Queen of Absenteeism”.
After collecting votes, the results were displayed on a screen for the entire team. The “winners” of each category received a box of panettone as a prize.
Although the woman was not present at the time of the screening, she was informed by colleagues about the exposure of your photo and the title receivedwhich motivated the legal action for offense to honor and image.
Court decision and company responsibility
In its defense, the company claimed that the vote took place without authorization from the board and that it sought to correct the situation upon becoming aware of the facts. The company also contested the indirect terminationmaintaining that the employee had voluntarily resigned.
However, the TRT-MG (Regional Labor Court of Minas Gerais) maintained the sentence in favor of the worker. The judge highlighted that the employer is objectively responsible for the acts of its representatives in the workplace, in accordance with the Civil Code.
The decision cites article 483, paragraph “e”, of the CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws)which provides for indirect termination when the employer commits an act detrimental to the employee’s honor and good reputation.
Regarding the value of the compensation, the rapporteur even suggested R$10,000, but the majority of judges in the Second Panel set the amount at R$ 5 milconsidering it appropriate to the damage suffered.
