HR rejected grievance I made against Colleague

That's the crux of it; the comment could reasonably be taken both ways, but it's not a fact that he meant it in a sexual way just because that's how some people take it.

If he didn't know that she was getting her lips filled and he said "oh she's getting her lips pumped," then yes you could infer something inappropriate. But considering what he said was what she was actually doing, it isn't clear at all that he was being inappropriate.

You apparently told the office what you were doing, and why you were missing work. He probably thought it was frivolous, and responded accordingly. I don't see the sexual innuendo, but you not only reacted like a Victorian maiden but went to HR to get back at him.
I've had people like you in my workplace, and we all avoided them. We were never sure who would offend them next. One woman, when she realized she had done something questionable that reflected poorly on her work ethic (eg: sharing that she is taking off work to get her lips plumped) would always turn around and complain to management about someone else offending her, thereby turning herself into the victim. It was a masterly strategy and protected her for years.
If you were sincere about this, another response would have been to look at the man, give an eye roll and a sigh, then say "really?" Then laugh. Message sent. No one involves HR. You can document it if you think it will be a pattern.

thats very good advice and thank you for your time writing it.

I’m with HR. Rightly or wrongly your going to have to toughen up going forward.

I think it must be. A few posters have said they are in Scotland and would immediately recognise it as an innuendo. I'm from the West Midlands and have never heard "pumped" mean have sex.

I assumed that the term 'getting your lips pumped' came from the fact that they look like a bicycle inner tube when they're done. A sort of inflated rubber tube.

Im probably a different generation to you but i would not have taken offence to that

Yep, this. Most sensible post on the thread.

Nope. As has been said numerous times, the comment has to reach the threshold to be considered as sexual harassment. And this doesn’t. As evidenced by the majority of posters here having to have the perceived sleight explained to them, and HR rejecting the claim. What matters is not that a comment offends you, it’s whether it breaches the law. I’ve done diversity training and refreshed it recently. And my behaviour doesn’t need changing thanks.

So as someone who acts as a decision manager for HR grievances.

I couldn't do anything other than your HR department did.

He might often be a pig and get away with it, which isnt cool but unless you've more specific examples the fact is you were off getting your lips filled and he used the terminology "getting her lips pumped" which could be an innuendo or could have been an accurate and innocent answer to the Qn.

Do I think he was probably being a cheeky pig? Probably. But if he gave the investigator the right answers and that was the only example in your complaint would I end action there? Yes.

I think if it puts him on notice and he behaves a bit better thats the best you'll get from this scenario. If he does say something again, you could make a further complaint but id advise making a record and only doing that if you witness multiple specific things because if you keep putting in complaints one at a time he could then complain youre harassing him

I'm another one with HR. Getting ur lips pumped with filler sounds fine to me.

See, I think this goes too far in the opposite direction. Men ‘of a certain age’ are not exempt from the law - and the law defines sexual harassment. And real sexual harassment has never been ok. Whether you are a ‘snowflake’ (horrible, misogynistic term) is irrelevant. What matters is not that you were offended by a comment, what matters is whether that comment reaches the threshold for sexual harassment.

@Gettingbysomehow not tripe. Sounds like there's a few here need to redo their diversity training and actually take notice of it by changing their own behaviour!
Oh and FYI I started work in the 70's!

@AnonymousBleep Agree that it was a sexually harrassing comment.

That clearly was the innuendo he was making.

It could/couldn't have been.

Not clearly at all! That's your take on it, same as OP and others, but clearly not HR's and others on here too.

It's not a fact.

I don't know. It doesn't mean anything here in Somerset.

I think you’re being ridiculous frankly. Also the poster who is horrified by the majority voting YABU, I have had allll the training and courses. I know my stuff. This is someone who is offended but that doesn’t mean that she’s right. Also OP, where the hell do you work? You tell your colleagues you’re having the day off to get lip filler? It sounds like it’s a workplace where you share that sort of thing, and then get offended when someone says you were having your lips pumped? Righto.

This so such an over reaction! If a woman had said either comments to you or your colleague with a spring on their step you would have giggled or ignored it.

men of a certain again don’t get that what they have said is now classed as not ok because we live in the land of snowflakes you would have achieved a better result by calling him out to it to his face.

Out of curiosity, OP are you Scottish...particularly from the West? I am and I would have absolutely taken that as sexual innuendo.

Sounds like he's old school and definitely needs to retake his diversity training. As for everyone accepting 'thats just X being X' is disgraceful and also not acceptable. I work in HR too and he would have received a verbal warning if I had been in the chair. People should think before they open their mouths!

It sounds as if he has made inappropriate comments in the past, but getting your lips pumped is not sexual, it was fact and so I agree with HR

Perhaps getting pumped is a regional thing as I took it as innuendo

As I repeatedly say on threads like this, HR are not on your side, they are on the side of the company. This was always going to happen, unless the company actually wanted to get rid of the person you complained about.

Sounds like (yes, inappropriate) jokey banter, I've heard far worse! He will have realised not to make these remarks in the future I'm sure, well maybe only to those who would just tell him to bugger off and take it as a laugh.

Depends on what the comment was though doesn’t it ? If it escalated into out and out discrimination why did you not take action ? This thread is demonstrating quite a concerning level of misunderstanding of what sexual harassment actually is.

What utter tripe. He said nothing sexual. It's her who has been telling everyone in the office about her personal life. You can't be disciplined for being a bit of a bore or a silly old fool.
Women who make a huge fuss about nothing being a thing are just making the rest of us look bloody stupid.
I remember what real harassment was back in the 80s when I started work. It was horrifying. Stop being so wet.