Menopausal police officer who asked to work from home because of way she smelt sued force for discrimination - after colleagues questioned severity of her symptoms

Daily Mail​

25-06-2025

A menopausal police officer who asked to work from home sued her force for discrimination after colleagues questioned her symptoms.
Sarah Dye had requested to work remotely because of menopause-related 'body odour' and brain fog which made it difficult to work in the office in her role at Norfolk Constabulary.
But her colleagues then saw social media posts of her 'enjoying herself at social activities' such as going to the zoo, leading them to think her issues weren't quite as 'extreme' as she made out.
The officer told an employment tribunal that the odour 'did not prevent her from going out with her husband' - and claimed that her boss grilling her about the issue amounted to harassment.
However, her claims for sex discrimination, harassment and disability discrimination were dismissed with a panel ruling that the concerns raised by her colleagues needed to be addressed.
It is understood Mrs Dye intends to appeal against the decision.
The tribunal, held in Norwich, heard Mrs Dye worked for the Norfolk Constabulary from February 2018.
She was moved from frontline duties to a crime recording and investigating unit after a shoulder injury in late 2020, which involved duties such as taking statements from sex assault victims.
Mrs Dye said she experienced 'severe' symptoms of the menopause in 2022, including insomnia and brain fog.
She claimed she couldn't read books or watch TV shows, and struggled to remember simple tasks.
A workplace health review in June that year found that the brain fog was not being fully managed by her Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
This meant that driving for more than very short periods was difficult, so the medical advisor recommended Mrs Dye work from home or within five miles of her address.
This was to 'reduce any risk from tiredness and brain fog'.
The tribunal heard: 'The Report also confirmed that [she] had reported experiencing body odour despite good personal hygiene.'
This odour was 'one of the main reasons for necessitating her need to work from home'.
Mrs Dye began working from home on a trial basis in July 2022 for six months - the plan was to see whether new medication made her symptoms better in that time.
Around September that year, her colleagues found Facebook posts which 'simply did not suggest' that the odour 'was to such an extent that [she] was making out'.
She had a review meeting that month, during which Chief Inspector Zoe Hardman asked her about the symptom.
The tribunal heard: 'Inspector Hardman did raise the issue of colleagues' concern that [Mrs Dye] had posted photographs on her Facebook page clearly travelling distances and enjoying herself at social activities in restaurants and at zoos, etc.
'[Mrs Dye]'s explanation [was] that whilst she was restricted, her impairment did not prevent her from going out with her husband.
'It is clear that [Mrs Dye] became upset about the question and Inspector Hardman did apologise at the time, but these issues clearly needed to be addressed.'
Mrs Dye later claimed that this conversation amounted to harassment.
The tribunal found that her menopause symptoms were not a disability as she claimed, and that there was 'a complete absence of medical evidence that [she] suffered debilitating menopausal symptoms'.
Employment Judge Robin Postle of her conversation with her superior: 'It was not unreasonable to explore these Facebook postings with [Mrs Dye].
'Furthermore, Inspector Hardman, at that meeting, was quite clearly at pains to help [Mrs Dye] understand the reason why she was asking the questions about [Mrs Dye]'s Facebook posts.'
All of Mrs Dye's other claims were dismissed.
She is still working as a police officer for Norfolk Constabulary.