Assaulted by a Colleague at Work — Alina's Story from Cork

What Happened

Alina worked as an office administrator for a mid-sized company in Cork city centre. She was good at her job, got on well with most colleagues, and had worked there for four years without incident. Then in March 2023, everything changed.

One afternoon, after a routine meeting, a colleague — someone she'd had minimal contact with — suddenly became aggressive. He shouted at her in front of other staff, called her names, and then physically pushed her against a desk. She fell, hit her shoulder hard, and was left shaken and in pain. The attack lasted only seconds, but it left deep marks on her arm and a lasting fear of coming to work.

What made it worse was what Alina discovered in the days that followed. She asked HR for records of complaints about this person. It turned out there had been at least three previous complaints from other employees about his aggressive behaviour. The company had done almost nothing — no formal investigation, no training, no suspension. HR had simply noted the complaints and filed them away.

Alina took sick leave, saw her GP, and was referred to a counsellor. She was diagnosed with anxiety and post-traumatic stress related to the assault. She couldn't sleep properly and felt sick every time she thought about going back to the office. Six weeks later, she decided she couldn't return to that workplace. She resigned and spent two months looking for a new job in a supportive environment.

With encouragement from a friend, Alina contacted eSolicitors.ie. She wanted to know if she could claim compensation, not just from the person who attacked her, but from the company that had failed to protect her.