Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Life
    2. Money and Work

    What do you think about sexual harassment at work?

    A woman's parents confronted her boss during a meeting, following allegations from their daughter

    By Marie Claire
    Published 12 July 2012 In Reports

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Business woman looking depressed
    Business woman looking depressed
    (Image credit: REX)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    A woman's parents confronted her boss during a meeting, following allegations from their daughter

    A 32-year-old woman claims that her career was ruined by her former boss after he allegedly sexually harassed her.

    Laura Barker worked for Steven Holliday as the vice-president of marketing at the US wing of the National Grid.

    But her parents are claiming that their now-unemployed daughter's career was sabotaged after she rejected his sexual advances.

    Her mother, Brigid Barker interrupted an annual general meeting at London's Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday, accusing Mr Holliday, who is also a non-executive director of Marks and Spencer of 'breaching his own code of ethics' in front of 2,000 shareholders

    You may like
    • Football and Domestic Abuse: Women’s Aid: “He’s Coming Home” After England's World Cup Defeat, I Couldn't Stop Thinking About This Domestic Abuse Statistic
    • Million Women Rise March In London Why Do We Keep Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Men Found Responsible for Sexual Violence?
    • Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused. Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?

    National Grid has said it launched an investigation into the allegations in 2010 but they were found to be ‘without foundation’.

    Mr Holliday is declining to comment.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    In May 2010 researchers at the University of Michigan found that 90 per cent of women who work in 'male-dominated environments' have faced gender or sexual harassment in the workplace.

    It is believed that women are taking less sexual harassment cases to court, possibly as a consequence of the recession.

    Have you ever been sexually harassed at work? Have you wanted to press charges against somebody but feared you could lose your job? Let us know in the comments below.

    MORE BIG DEBATES

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    Football and Domestic Abuse: Women’s Aid: “He’s Coming Home”
    Life After England's World Cup Defeat, I Couldn't Stop Thinking About This Domestic Abuse Statistic
    Million Women Rise March In London
    Life Why Do We Keep Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Men Found Responsible for Sexual Violence?
     
     
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
    B _ W - Woman reading book with wine in natural sunlight - TVS
    Culture 9 of Britain's 10 Bestselling Novels Begin With a Dead Woman. I Asked Authors, Literary Experts and a Criminal Behavioural Analyst Why
     
     
    Latest in Money and Work
    Analog Times - Wine and cards game night on luxurious burgundy fabric - TVS
    Money and Work The Gambling Industry's Newest Bet? Women
    Well-dressed businesswoman walking on the street of Manhattan, New York and talking on the phone while heading to work during one autumn day.
    Money and Work Is Gen Z Really Lazy at Work, or Just Done with Burnout Culture?
     
     
    Milan, Italy - 20 February 2020: Stylish persons are posing for photographers before Max Mara fashion show on Milan Woman's Fashion Week F/W2020-2021, street style - stock photo
    Money and Work Women Are Delaying This Financial Step, But It Could Be Easier Than You Think.
     Student Loan
    Money and Work I Can’t Keep Up With My Student Loan — Millions of British Graduates Can’t Either
     
     
    Latest in Reports
    The Fertility Gold Rush
    Female health The Fertility Gold Rush — How Big Business Took Over Baby-Making
    Kansas City Chiefs NFL player Harrison Butker giving a press conference
    Life Harrison Butker's speech about women's role as "homemakers" is being widely criticised
     
     
    Online safety violence against women
    Culture “Our appetite for watching women fail does contribute to the rest of our behaviour online.”
    Oscar Pistorius leaves the North Gauteng High Court in 2016 in Pretoria, South Africa
    Life Reeva Steenkamp's mother has spoken out as Oscar Pistorius is released on parole
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.