
Karen Farquharson worked at the engineering firm Thistle Marine a female employee from Scotland has been rewarded with over 37,000 pounds (approximately Rs. 37,15,281) in compensation.
Karen Farquharson the employee had quit her job after her boss said that she uses menopause as an “excuse for everything.” She had sued the company for unfair dismissal and harassment.
She had opted to work from home for two days as she was suffering from menopausal bleeding and there was also heavy snow, near her house on the third day she reported at 2 p.m. in office.
On explaining the situation and her reasons to the boss she was dismissed and said that everyone suffered from aches and pains.
What is menopause leave?
Menopause leave was one of the recommendations to give women going through menopause more rights. The idea was to allow women to take paid leave from work, separate from sick leave when experiencing symptoms.
However, the company has not permitted the female workforce to take such leaves. Moreover, there is a case for the argument that it could be counterproductive, in the sense that it would discourage employers from administering other policies that already support women experiencing menopause – like flexible working.
It is required for the employers to understand the requirement and provide employees with Flexible work arrangements for menopause and support female employees with mental health support.
The organization should also take necessary steps to support the employees and educate its HR professionals in normalizing menopause.