Louise McCabe, then 55, was told by Jack Williams, her CEO, to “calm down, don’t let the hormones get out of control” during a company meeting. She subsequently brought a claim in the Employment Tribunal for age discrimination and unfair dismissal after she was dismissed by Mr Williams who viewed older people as ‘not familiar’ with the IT business. He saw Mrs McCabe as a ‘menopausal woman’ and originally stripped her of her role as a company director before dismissing her.
Although Mr Williams denied making this comment, the Tribunal concluded that he had and that he would not have said this to a younger person.
A further hearing has been arranged to decide on the compensation she is to receive.
For many years the menopause has been seen as a ‘taboo’ topic with discriminatory treatment often being overlooked by the employees concerned. In recent years we have seen a significant increase in claims such as this as the menopause has become something more widely discussed and recognised in the workplace with many employers taking steps to help female employees going through the menopause.
If you are in a similar situation please do contact our Employment Team on 0345 646 0406 or fill in our online enquiry form and a member of our Team will be in touch.