Woman Sues Firm For Paying Her Salary Without Work For 20 Years: Here's Why

A woman in France sued her employer and company for paying her full salary for 20 years without giving her any work to do. Laurence Van Wassenhove, who works at Orange, a telecom giant in France, is disabled. She is suffering from epilepsy with one side of her body paralysed. Wassenhove accused the company of harassment and discrimination based on her health and disability. 

Wassenhove was hired by France Telecom in 1993. Because of her physical condition, she was offered a role suitable to her. She worked as a secretary in human resources until 2002. When Orange took over the telecom giant, Wassenhove requested a transfer to another area in France. The new workspace didn't suit her as it was not adapted to her condition. However, Orange allegedly refused to make any changes or offer a suitable alternative. 

'Hard to bear': Wssenhove on being paid without work

The telecom giant paid her full salary without assigning any work to her for two decades. This, according to Wassenhove, was an attempt to push her out of the company without firing her directly. She called it "moral harassment" leading to isolation at the workplace and loss of professional purpose. Even though people consider this as a dream, Wassenhove said that being paid without working is "hard to bear." 

Wassenhove vs Orange lawsuit

In 2015, Wassenhove filed a complaint to the government and High Authority for the Fight Against Discrimination at Orange. The company allotted a mediator to settle things. However, even after that, the circumstances didn't change. David Nabet-Martin, Wassenhove's attorney, said that she had suffered depression because of her seclusion by her employer. 

The attorney also said that Orange failed to provide an adaptable work environment to Wassenhove pushing her into professional limbo.

Orange defends its policy

On the other hand, Orange defended itself by saying that it took all the possible steps to make Wassenhove's workplace comfortable. The company was trying to implement the policy of returning to work in adapted condition by considering her "personal social situation". However, Wassenhove allegedly took frequent sick leaves because of which the policy couldn't turn into action.