[UK] £37k payout for office manager told she used menopause as ‘excuse’

A UK office manager has won a £37,000 payout from an employment tribunal after her boss accused her of using the menopause as an "excuse for everything", BBC News reports.

Karen Farquharson (49) said she was also told to "just get on with it" after being off work sick as a result of her symptoms.

An employment tribunal reportedly heard that Jim Clark - the managing director of Thistle Marine in Aberdeenshire - had dismissed her issues as "aches and pains".

Ms Farquharson was first off work with stress then resigned from the engineering firm.

She had worked for Thistle Marine since 1995 and was earning £38,000 a year before she quit.

Ms Farquharson successfully sued the company for unfair dismissal and harassment.

She described Mr Clark - her 72-year-old boss - as a "dinosaur" who didn't understand changes in the contemporary workplace.

Ms Farquharson said, "I had known this company for 27 years and they treated me like rubbish.

"Mr Clark didn't like change. He didn't like being challenged on things.

"He didn't move with the times. I tried to explain some issues in what you can say and what you can't say and it just fell on deaf ears."

Thistle Marine provides services to the oil and fishing industries, it was founded by Mr Clark in the late 1970s.

The tribunal in Aberdeen reportedly heard that Mr Clark accused Ms Farquharson of "strolling in" when it suited her and had a "pet hate" of people not turning up.

"Mr Jim Clark was blunt by nature. He would speak his mind. Mr Clark would often refer to employees who were off sick as 'snowflakes'," the tribunal heard.

In August 2021, Ms Farquharson told her employers that she was going through menopause and was experiencing a number of "serious symptoms".

The company paid for her to have a private assessment of her condition.

In addition to bleeding she was suffering from anxiety, a loss of concentration and brain fog.

In December 2022, Ms Farquharson worked from home for two days, initially because of heavy snow and then because she was unwell due to "heavy menopausal bleeding".

The following day she returned to work, arriving at 14:00 and passed Mr Clark in the corridor. The hearing was told that he spoke to her in a sarcastic tone, saying "Oh, I see you've made it in".

She reportedly mentioned the snow and also her heavy menopausal bleeding.

The tribunal heard that Mr Clark gave her a "disgusted look" and then walked away.

Ms Farquharson was said to be upset and angry at the implication that she did not have good reason to have not been at work and later confronted him about the issues. 

The tribunal heard that he dismissed her menopause symptoms saying everybody has "aches and pains".

Ms Farquharson said she was "shocked" by his outburst. She then wrote to the company launching a grievance about the "disdain and disgust" that she had faced.

Several days later she discovered her remote access to the company accounts system had been cut off meaning she could no longer work from home.

She resigned and took Thistle Marine to the tribunal.

At the hearing, Mr Clark reportedly dismissed his remarks as "innocent" and suggested Ms Farquharson had engineered her resignation to get money prior to her wedding.

Thistle Marine's lawyers stated that her evidence could not be relied upon and suggested it was "contradictory and unsatisfactory".

They disagreed with the words Ms Farquharson attributed to Mr Clark and said he had no intention to harass her.

Violated dignity

However, in upholding Ms Farquharson’s claims, the panel - chaired by Judge James Hendry - said, "Jim Clark can best be described as a blunt, self-made man and successful businessman.

"He no doubt has many admirable qualities but empathy for others is not among them.

"It became clear to us that he has little time or respect for those, unlike himself, who are not able to work as hard or without illness as he has."

The panel reportedly concluded that his remarks to Ms Farquharson violated her dignity.

Ms Farquharson now works in accounts at another firm. She said her treatment and the tribunal were a "huge strain".

She said, "The stress was unbelievable and I know that I have gone through it and I have won, but I have still got this anxiety and disbelief at what they did.

"I have lost my self-belief, I've got zero confidence now and I am very untrusting. It was the worst experience of my life."

Source: BBC News

(Quotes via original reporting)

A UK office manager has won a £37,000 payout from an employment tribunal after her boss accused her of using the menopause as an "excuse for everything", BBC News reports.

Karen Farquharson (49) said she was also told to "just get on with it" after being off work sick as a result of her symptoms.

An employment tribunal reportedly heard that Jim Clark - the managing director of Thistle Marine in Aberdeenshire - had dismissed her issues as "aches and pains".

Ms Farquharson was first off work with stress then resigned from the engineering firm.

She had worked for Thistle Marine since 1995 and was earning £38,000 a year before she quit.

Ms Farquharson successfully sued the company for unfair dismissal and harassment.

She described Mr Clark - her 72-year-old boss - as a "dinosaur" who didn't understand changes in the contemporary workplace.

Ms Farquharson said, "I had known this company for 27 years and they treated me like rubbish.

"Mr Clark didn't like change. He didn't like being challenged on things.

"He didn't move with the times. I tried to explain some issues in what you can say and what you can't say and it just fell on deaf ears."

Thistle Marine provides services to the oil and fishing industries, it was founded by Mr Clark in the late 1970s.

The tribunal in Aberdeen reportedly heard that Mr Clark accused Ms Farquharson of "strolling in" when it suited her and had a "pet hate" of people not turning up.

"Mr Jim Clark was blunt by nature. He would speak his mind. Mr Clark would often refer to employees who were off sick as 'snowflakes'," the tribunal heard.

In August 2021, Ms Farquharson told her employers that she was going through menopause and was experiencing a number of "serious symptoms".

The company paid for her to have a private assessment of her condition.

In addition to bleeding she was suffering from anxiety, a loss of concentration and brain fog.

In December 2022, Ms Farquharson worked from home for two days, initially because of heavy snow and then because she was unwell due to "heavy menopausal bleeding".

The following day she returned to work, arriving at 14:00 and passed Mr Clark in the corridor. The hearing was told that he spoke to her in a sarcastic tone, saying "Oh, I see you've made it in".

She reportedly mentioned the snow and also her heavy menopausal bleeding.

The tribunal heard that Mr Clark gave her a "disgusted look" and then walked away.

Ms Farquharson was said to be upset and angry at the implication that she did not have good reason to have not been at work and later confronted him about the issues. 

The tribunal heard that he dismissed her menopause symptoms saying everybody has "aches and pains".

Ms Farquharson said she was "shocked" by his outburst. She then wrote to the company launching a grievance about the "disdain and disgust" that she had faced.

Several days later she discovered her remote access to the company accounts system had been cut off meaning she could no longer work from home.

She resigned and took Thistle Marine to the tribunal.

At the hearing, Mr Clark reportedly dismissed his remarks as "innocent" and suggested Ms Farquharson had engineered her resignation to get money prior to her wedding.

Thistle Marine's lawyers stated that her evidence could not be relied upon and suggested it was "contradictory and unsatisfactory".

They disagreed with the words Ms Farquharson attributed to Mr Clark and said he had no intention to harass her.

Violated dignity

However, in upholding Ms Farquharson’s claims, the panel - chaired by Judge James Hendry - said, "Jim Clark can best be described as a blunt, self-made man and successful businessman.

"He no doubt has many admirable qualities but empathy for others is not among them.

"It became clear to us that he has little time or respect for those, unlike himself, who are not able to work as hard or without illness as he has."

The panel reportedly concluded that his remarks to Ms Farquharson violated her dignity.

Ms Farquharson now works in accounts at another firm. She said her treatment and the tribunal were a "huge strain".

She said, "The stress was unbelievable and I know that I have gone through it and I have won, but I have still got this anxiety and disbelief at what they did.

"I have lost my self-belief, I've got zero confidence now and I am very untrusting. It was the worst experience of my life."

Source: BBC News

(Quotes via original reporting)