Beauty technician fired because she was struggling with menopause wins £32,000 payout

Beauty technician fired because she was struggling with menopause wins £32,000 payout The beauty therapist, from Chichester, was 48 at the time and a single parent to a 12 year old boy - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A top beauty therapist has won over £32,000 after she was was fired because she was struggling with the menopause. Experienced Chantelle Van Vliet was the only therapist who was not rehired when their clinic rebranded, just days after she had asked for more flexible working because of the 'severity' of her symptoms. Ms Van Vliet, who has worked at some of the most 'prestigious' spas across the world, was let go with no warning despite the fact that she was a single mother. She took her clinic in a Hampshire market town to a tribunal and has won over £32,000 for discrimination, saying that 'companies shouldn't get away with how they treat people'. Ms Van Vliet was employed as a Senior Aesthetic Therapist by Footlaffs Limited - now called Always Time to be Me Ltd - from June 2022 in Petersfield, Hants. She has 'worked as a beauty and aesthetics therapist for over 20 years' and 'apart from a period of maternity... she has never experienced any period of unemployment and has found work easily in her chosen field'. The beauty therapist, from Chichester, West Sussex, was 48 at the time and a single parent to a 12 year old boy. From 2022 onwards, Ms Van Vliet 'experienced significant perimenopausal/menopausal symptoms including migraines, hot flushes and recurrent urinary tract infections, which worsened through 2023 and early 2024'. She had told Karen Dodds, the boss of the therapy clinic, about her struggles with the symptoms in April 2024, and even had discussions with her about undertaking hormone replacement therapy. In May 2024, she even had to take a day off because 'she could not cope' with the severity of the symptoms. A week later, Ms Van Vliet ended up emailing her manager at the clinic and Mrs Dodds requesting flexible working. She wrote: "I would like to ask for this request to get a better work and family balance. "I have also recently started going through the menopause which has really affected me, especially working the later shifts. "I would be happy to agree a three month trial period." Ms Van Vliet's manager replied a couple of days after saying they would discuss the request with Mrs Dodds but they never got back to her. At the end of May, the manager emailed Ms Van Vliet to say that she had been taken off the rota for the following day because she had no clients booked - but that was untrue as she did have clients. The next day, all of Footlaffs' staff were dismissed for redundancy. However, it was heard "a large majority of the staff (including all the other therapists doing the aesthetics work), were offered new contracts so their employment could continue seamlessly with a phoenix business". This was run by Mrs Dodds and Stephen Dodds under the name Time To Be Me, but later Always Time To Be Me Ltd. Ms Van Vliet was the only beauty therapist who was not rehired - and no reason was given to her as to why. She took the business and Mr and Mrs Dodd to an employment tribunal in Southampton, Hants, where Employment Judge Jonathan Burns found that the reason had to be due to the inconvenience of employing someone struggling with her menopause symptoms. He concluded: "Mrs Dodd, who made the operative decisions, failed to give evidence and there is no or very little evidence before me to prove any alternative explanation. "Bare assertions about redundancy have been made but no detail of this or of any other financial, operational or other non-discriminatory reasons for the relevant omission have been placed before me. "Even if there was a redundancy situation, which is not proved, it is not shown by [clinic] that there was a lawful reason for [Ms Van Vliet's] (rather than the other aesthetic therapists’) selection. "The flexible working request arose at least in material part from [Ms Van Vliet's] disability, which is referred to in terms in the request. [The clinic's bosses] had at least constructive knowledge of the fact that [Ms Van Vliet] had her disability. "[Ms Van Vliet was] at a substantial disadvantage compared to someone without the [her] disability, in that she was unable to work the late shifts due to fatigue, confusion and brain fog. "The flexible working request was in substance a request for a reasonable adjustment for disability. "It would have been reasonable for the [clinic's bosses] to allow [Ms Van Vliet] to change her shifts; as her request was modest and sensible, and to allow her to continue in employment so she could test out the new shifts as she had proposed." The beauty therapist won claims of disability discrimination, wrongful dismissal, deduction of wages, failing to make reasonable adjustments and victimisation. However further claims of automatic unfair dismissal and direct discrimination were dismissed. It was found that the company had failed to pay Ms Van Vliet £3,228 of unpaid wages and £510 of notice pay. She has also been awarded £12,077 for loss of salary, and because 'the dismissal had a severe emotional impact on her including loss of confidence, distress, difficulties in family life and daily functioning', she has also been awarded £16,422 for injury to feelings. The total she is owed is £32,237 - but as the new company Always Time To Be Me is in voluntary liquidation, Ms Van Vliet is unclear as to when she will receive the compensation. She is now self-employed and runs her own beauty therapy business. Speaking after the judgement, the beauty therapist said: "They're absolutely awful people. "They did it to about 20 other people too and they're now just declaring bankruptcy so I don't know what's happening with payment. It's awful. "It's good to highlight this to other people and employers. Companies shouldn't get away with how they treat people." Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments