Her Boss Shouted She 'Must Be in Her Menopause' After She Said She Didn't Want to Discuss It — Then a Tribunal Awarded Her £20,057

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A workplace can feel like a second home right up until it doesn’t. One sharp comment, said loud enough for everyone to hear, and suddenly you’re not talking about an order mix-up anymore—you’re talking about dignity, respect, and whether the person in charge has any self-control.

That’s roughly the territory an employment tribunal walked into after Leigh Best, a sales assistant at an Essex pet food store, said her male boss shouted that she “must be in her menopause.” The details were reported in the original post, which described a situation that escalated from awkward to humiliating, and then to legally costly.

Best was 52 at the time and had worked at Embark on Raw for about a year. The tribunal later awarded her £20,057.74 in compensation after finding she’d been victimised and dismissed in connection with her complaints, including concerns about sexism, ageism, and Covid-19 safety.

A comment that crossed a line—and got louder

The tribunal heard that the remark came during what was described as a “relatively small” argument over an order mix-up. Owner David Fletcher allegedly shouted the comment “at the top of his voice,” and the tribunal characterised it as “inappropriate and derogatory.”

What makes this worse is that, earlier, Best had made it clear she didn’t want menopause discussed around her. The tribunal was told a customer mentioned a “hot flush,” and Best responded by putting her hands over her ears and saying she didn’t want to hear about it.

Even after the customer left, Fletcher reportedly kept pursuing the topic. The tribunal found that was unwanted conduct that violated her dignity and created a humiliating work environment.

“Stop moaning” isn’t a management strategy

After the comment, Best complained to Fletcher’s wife, Andrea, who was also an owner. According to the tribunal evidence reported, she was told to “stop moaning,” and was warned to either “get on with everybody or we’ll have to call it a day.”

That kind of response tells an employee something pretty clear: you can speak up, but you’ll pay for it. And in small businesses—where the owners are the HR department, the managers, and the appeals process—there’s often nowhere to take a concern except straight back to the people who caused it.

It’s one thing to tell staff to handle issues calmly. It’s another to shut them down, minimize the complaint, and attach consequences for raising it.

Covid concerns entered the picture, too

Alongside the discrimination complaint, Best also raised concerns about pandemic safety. As an essential business, the shop was allowed to stay open during lockdown, and she reportedly worried that hygiene procedures weren’t being properly “implemented” and “enforced.”

The tribunal heard she complained after seeing a co-worker cough without a mask. Instead of her concern being treated as reasonable, she was reportedly told she was being “paranoid,” urged to stop “digging” at colleagues, and accused of creating “a divide in the business.”

No one needed perfection in those early Covid months, but employees did need a workplace that took safety seriously. Dismissing concerns with name-calling and irritation is a good way to lose trust fast.

The dismissal, the appeal, and the tribunal’s view

A month later, in May 2020, Best was sacked. The stated reason was that she was “rude” and “confrontational” in her communication with employees and managers, and she lost an internal appeal against the decision.

The tribunal didn’t accept that as the real story. It ruled that she had actually been dismissed for raising Covid-19 concerns and then victimised for complaining about Fletcher’s behaviour.

Employment Judge Bernice Elgot, who headed the tribunal, said Fletcher “invaded the claimant’s privacy,” brought up a “highly sensitive topic,” and acted tactlessly by directly asking a woman employee if she was menopausal. The ruling also noted he persisted even after she made clear she didn’t want to discuss it.

Why menopause remarks are a workplace landmine

Menopause isn’t a punchline, and it isn’t a management tool for dismissing a woman’s tone, disagreement, or frustration. In plain terms, using it as a jab is a way of saying, “Your reaction isn’t valid—it’s just your hormones.” That’s not leadership; it’s contempt dressed up as a joke.

Even if someone thinks they’re being clever, it’s a deeply personal topic. Bringing it up in public, loudly, in the middle of conflict is almost guaranteed to humiliate the person on the receiving end. The tribunal’s language about dignity and a humiliating environment shows it understood that dynamic.

There’s also the common temptation—especially among men—to respond to tension by going for the soft spot. Sometimes it’s about winning the moment, not resolving the problem. But what you win in the moment can cost you later, whether that cost is trust, staff retention, or, in this case, five figures.

A costly lesson in restraint and respect

The compensation award totalled £20,057.74, ordered to be paid by Embark on Raw. That number matters, but it’s not the only cost. A public tribunal decision has a way of becoming part of a company’s story, whether the owners like it or not.

For any boss—especially in a small shop where the culture rises and falls on the owners—this is a reminder that volume isn’t authority. Shouting doesn’t make a person right; it just makes the room smaller for everyone else.

And for employees, it’s a sign that documenting concerns and using the proper channels, even when you’re being brushed off, can matter later. Best raised concerns, complained about the conduct, and the tribunal concluded those complaints were part of why she was dismissed.

Work is stressful enough without being mocked for age or sex, or treated like a nuisance for wanting basic safety and decency. The whole situation reads like something that could’ve been avoided by a little humility, a quieter voice, and the simple discipline of not saying the ugly thing that pops into your head.