A woman wins claims for unfair dismissal, harassment and victimisation after her manager called her “hormonal”

An employee was recently awarded £32,000 in compensation at employment tribunal after being told to remain rational and being described as a “hormone tempest”.

The chief executive was known to describe women as “frantic and unpredictable”. In this case he and employee had a relationship that was referred to as impulsive and volatile and they were used to speaking frankly with each other. However, it was found in the judgement that the chief executive had a reputation for making wholly inappropriate comments.

The employee was informed that she was demoted during a work event. During the event he also expressed his belief that women could be unpredictable during their periods. When he asked the employee if she would accept the new (less senior) role he asked her to remain rational because he had seen how she reacted when “overtaken by a hormone tempest”.

The tribunal upheld claims for unfair dismissal and harassment related to sex and victimisation.

121 HR Solutions regularly conducts in-house training for managers in subjects relating to discrimination and harassment.  Contact enquiries@121hrsolutions.co.uk for details of our training portfolio.