Leigh Best, 54, was dismissed as a sales assistant for pet food retailer Embark on Raw, based near  Billericay, Essex, for raising Covid-19 safety concerns, an employment tribunal found.

The tribunal ruled that she had been unfairly dismissed, harassed due to her age and sex, and    victimised. The tribunal deemed Mr. Fletcher’s comments to be “unwanted, obtrusive and inappropriate questioning about whether or not she was menopausal.” This left her feeling “humiliated and mortified” by her treatment, it found. The panel further concluded “Mr Fletcher invaded the claimant’s privacy, broached a highly sensitive topic for her and acted tactlessly.”

The total amount she was awarded at the East London Hearing Centre was £20,057.74. This included £680 for loss of wages, a further £4,000 for harassment and victimisation, as well as £10,000 in  relation to unlawful detriment.

Embark on Raw is based at Whitesbridge Farm Industrial Estate, near Billericay, Essex. Mrs Best was employed by the company, which sells raw food for cats and dogs, from 29 January 2020 until 11 May that year, and was co-directed by husband and wife, David and Andrea Fletcher.

The tribunal hearing heard Mr Fletcher had shouted that “she must be on her menopause” on 20th  March 2020 during an argument about a mix-up with orders.

A sum of £2,000 was awarded towards the harassment as it was found that Mrs Best was upset by Fletcher’s “unwanted, obtrusive and inappropriate questioning about whether or not she was menopausal”.

She said she found the subject “distressing and wished to avoid talking about it” and it was a “private matter”. Her dismissal was “flawed” and she was left “misinformed, humiliated and mortified by this treatment