Male executives sacked for rating female employees’ looks out of ten in WhatsApp group

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Published: 19:18 EDT, 22 August 2025 | Updated: 19:38 EDT, 22 August 2025 Two senior male executives have been sacked for marking women out of ten for their looks in a WhatsApp group. Richard Sharp and Dean Lewis, along with five colleagues, also made other ‘highly derogatory’ sexual comments, including fantasies involving one manager. The WhatsApp messages also contained a cartoon picture of Snow White, a reference to another employee, in a ‘sexual pose’ with Pinocchio, as well discussion of – and photos from – ‘upskirting’, including naming a co-worker. The men also shared racist and Islamophobic ‘jokes’ and mocked a company-wide reminder about the harassment policy. A whistleblower alerted the wastewater management company to the ‘offensive’ messages and a disciplinary investigation was launched resulting in the dismissal of all seven men. Mr Sharp and Mr Lewis sued Xylem Water Solutions for unfair dismissal, arguing that the outcome of misconduct process had been ‘pre determined’.  An employment tribunal found there were ‘genuine concerns’ but chose not to award compensation, finding the executives would have been fired even if correct processes has been followed. The case was originally heard in Exeter in 2020 but the final judgment
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