Worker’s £20k payout for being called menopausal
A SALES assistant was awarded more than £20,000 after her male boss accused her of being menopausal.
Leigh Best had a row with pet shop owner David Fletcher. An employment tribunal heard he shouted out that the then 52-year-old “must be in her menopause”.
Mrs Best earlier covered her ears and said: “I don’t want to hear about it” as a customer spoke about a “hot flush”.
She complained about Mr Fletcher’s comments to his wife and co-owner Andrea but was told to “stop moaning” and a month later was sacked.
Mrs Best, who now has her own pet food firm, took her ex-employers to a tribunal and won claims of age and sex discrimination and of unfair dismissal. The East London panel found Mr Fletcher broached a “highly sensitive topic”.
Mrs Best, now 54, began at Embark on Raw near Billericay, Essex, in January 2019. The following March there was a dispute over an order which led to Mr Fletcher shouting from a back room.
The panel heard he “made inappropriate and derogatory comments about her age and remarks, relevant to her sex as a woman. She had made it quite clear that she did not wish to participate.
“That was unwanted conduct which had the effect of violating [her] dignity and of creating a humiliating environment for her at work.” The tribunal heard Mrs Best had also raised concerns about Covid safety procedures.
In May 2020 she was fired for “rude” communication but the hearing ruled it was for raising her fears and she was then victimised.
The tribunal, led by employment judge Bernice Elgot, said: “Part of the reason for the company’s decision to dismiss Mrs Best is that she made a significant allegation of sexism and ageism.”
She was awarded £20,057.