Beauty therapist awarded £32,237 after tribunal finds menopause-related discrimination

Senior aesthetic therapist Chantelle Van Vliet, with more than two decades of experience, asked Footlaffs Limited for a modest shift change in April 2024 after menopause symptoms worsened and made late work untenable. She received no reply, was removed from the rota, and was the only employee excluded from rehiring when the clinic reorganised, while other staff received new contracts. Van Vliet sued, and an employment tribunal in Southampton found no credible non-discriminatory reason for her exclusion, deeming her flexible-working request a reasonable adjustment for a disability.

Judge Jonathan Burns awarded her £32,237, comprising £3,228 unpaid wages, £510 notice pay, £12,077 loss of salary and £16,422 for injury to feelings. The ruling highlighted the severe emotional impact of the dismissal, although claims of automatic unfair dismissal were dismissed. The new business, Always Time To Be Me Ltd, is now in voluntary liquidation, creating doubt about when the compensation will be paid.