In June 2021, Bridget McConnochie quit her job as an office and accounts manager at Integrated Mechanics.
Ms McConnochie said her resignation came after the owner "smacked her behind", the final straw in a series of humiliating and "weird" actions towards her by the company’s owner, Malcolm Thorne.
Ms McConnochie reported the incident, and others, to human resources.
In a statement to the ODT, Integrated Mechanics confirmed it had received a complaint from Ms McConnochie about the behaviour of one of her colleagues and said it was dealt with appropriately.
"Integrated is confident that it investigated and responded appropriately with the assistance and advice of an independent professional HR adviser.
Ms McConnochie felt her situation was awkward due to Integrated’s HR manager being Malcolm Thorne’s wife Vanessa Gargiulo.
In an audio recording of their final meeting together, Ms Gargiulo told a sobbing Ms McConnochie: "He smacks everybody, my daughter smacks everybody, it’s honestly not intended like that ... I said to him upstairs ‘some people are not the same as our family and you can’t do that’".
Ms McConnochie said the response did not make her feel supported, or that Ms Gargiulo was "removing her wife hat and putting her HR one on".
She was coming forward now to tell her story to try to prevent someone else experiencing what she had gone through.
"I’ve had a rough couple of years and now I’m in a place where I can start to tackle everything."
In its statement, Integrated said the company was committed to providing a safe working environment for all of its employees, contractors and visitors and took complaints about workplace harassment "very seriously".
"While Integrated is confident that Ms McConnochie’s complaint was investigated thoroughly and the response was appropriate, workplace policy has since been amended to provide for any complaint to be handled by an independent HR adviser to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest."
Ms McConnochie worked for Integrated Mechanics between November 2020 and June 2021.
When she first started, her first impression of Mr Thorne was that he was outgoing, loud and "quite a goofball".
"As soon as I started working there, it began," she said.
He made a habit of hiding and jumping out at Ms McConnochie to scare her, despite attempts to get him to stop.
Sometimes, he would sneak behind her as she worked at her desk and loudly clap beside her ear, she said.
His regularly scaring her at times drove her to tears.
Ms McConnochie told Ms Gargiulo she repeatedly told him he needed to stop.
It got to the point where she could no longer engage in eye contact with her boss.
"I take a lot of pride in who I am and my work, and I don’t feel like the same person who first started here, nor am I the person I want to be," she said in a letter to HR provided to the Otago Daily Times.
In an incident included in a complaint to HR, Ms McConnochie said Mr Thorne "jabbed" her in the arm where he knew she had just had blood taken.
He then berated her for not wearing her safety glasses.
Another event listed said Mr Thorne grabbed the back of Ms McConnochie’s chair while she was working and started to shake it while repeating "Is this annoying, is this annoying".
"I don’t recall if I responded [but he then] stood in front of me, by the door, and repetitively said ‘You love it, you love it’.
"I said ‘No, I don’t’," she said in the letter.
Mr Thorne ended up having a HR disciplinary meeting headed by his wife and the workshop’s supervisor, which Ms McConnochie questioned.
"Obviously there’s a conflict of interest there, right? She is literally his wife."
In Ms Gargiulo’s responses, also provided to the ODT, she accepted her husband’s behaviour was unnaceptable.
"I do not condone Malcolm’s behaviour, and am very disappointed that he has put both you and me in this situation."
She also addressed her relationship with Mr Thorne, saying: "I refuse to discuss this personally with Malcolm until the matter is resolved. I do, however, apologise profusely for the repeated behaviour. It is not OK."
Ms McConnochie said she was informed verbally of the outcome of disciplinary proceedings and told her former boss received a written warning.
"He’s the owner, what’s that going to do?" she said.
She hoped that by telling her story other employers might appreciate the destructive and destabilising effect behaviour like Mr Thorne’s could have in the workplace, and take steps to eliminate it.
