Dismissal came after four male clients made allegations against Helen Giakatis. A female Bank manager was accused of luring wealthy male clients with sexual favours and explicit texts triggering an investigation that led to the dismissal of one of the woman.
The bank’s own probe did not substantiate the most serious allegations but found that Helen Giakatis had exchanged inappropriate text messages and photos with several high value male clients. Giakatis had also improperly secured raises and preferential treatment at work, according to documents using these methods.
The investigation and the subsequent dismissal come amid changing attitudes in a country that has been slow to embrace the MeToo movement, which started in the US four years ago.
Helen Giakatis claims she had a romantic relationship with with one of the clients before he became a client of the bank. Giakatis was suspended but has now returned to work for a new bank, pending the outcome of a wider probe into her behaviour. She has denied all wrongdoing and said that all sexual encounters were consensual. She did not respond to a request for comment. However, the Bank fired her after an internal investigation found evidence of other misconduct, people familiar with the matter said.
Helen Giakatis the then senior manager told the Bank that she added the man to her LinkedIn contacts only after she was automatically suggested by the social network’s algorithm. Days after an initial exchange of messages on LinkedIn, the senior manager arranged to have dinner with several men at expensive restaurants. Eight days after their first contact, Helen Giakatis and the unnamed men started to discuss sexual preferences in messages. Helen Giakatis then sent the men explicit photos.
Giakatis confirmed the authenticity of the chats as well as the fact that he had urged the woman to delete the messages, according to people familiar with the matter. She also said that she felt pressured to have sex with him, and later suspected that was responsible for her dismissal.
“Where necessary and appropriate, we have taken action and will continue to do so in the future,” the bank told us, adding that it promoted a “speak-up culture to encourage any employee experiencing discrimination, harassment, or unfair treatment to report any such experiences”.
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