2 days ago
I was paid my full salary for 20 years despite doing no work - now I'm suing my employer
For some, being paid a salary for two decades without being asked to lift a finger might sound like a dream come true.
However, when this happened to Frenchwoman Laurence Van Wassenhove, she says it became a psychological nightmare - and now she is taking legal action against her employer for 'forced inactivity' and 'making her invisible' in the workplace.
The 59-year-old is suing one of Europe's biggest telecom companies, Orange, for discrimination, after alleging that she was left in a role with no tasks, no responsibilities, and no human connection for over 20 years.
The mother-of-two was full of ambition when she joined France Télécom, now known as Orange, back in 1993 - but after developing epilepsy and hemiplegia, which is a paralysis that only affects one side of the body, she could not work.
Due to her medical issues, Laurence, who is a trained HR assistant, was transferred to a more sedentary secretarial role.
However what seemed like a reasonable adjustment, quickly unravelled into a two-decade professional limbo.
In 2002, shortly after the transition from France Télécom to Orange, she claimed to have submitted a request to be transferred to another region in France.
However, an occupational health assessment later determined she was unfit for the role, and she was subsequently placed on standby.
Laurence, who is mother of an autistic child, said despite being paid her salary, it did not save her from facing eviction notices and struggling to make ends meet.
Speaking to FTV, Laurence claimed she felt like an 'outcast secretary' which took an emotional toll on her mental health.
'I was paid, yes,' she later told French media outlet Mediapart, 'but I was treated like I didn't exist.'
She claimed the company put her on standby, then sick leave, before presenting the option of retirement as a result of her disability.
Laurence was in professional limbo for 20 years and she claimed the inactivity led to severe depression.
Her lawsuit accuses Orange of failing in their legal duty to accommodate her health needs and provide meaningful work, which is a requirement under French labour law.
Under French labour law, employers are required to make a genuine effort to find an alternative position for employees who are deemed medically unfit to continue in their original roles.
She claims that despite repeated requests for training, redeployment, or support, she remained in a state of 'forced inactivity'.
Laurence claimed that not much improved even after a complaint to the government and High Authority for the Fight against Discrimination back in 2015.
Speaking to FTV, she added: 'Being paid, at home, not working is not a privilege. It's very hard to bear.'
Her lawyer David Nabet-Martin argues that Orange failed in its obligation to provide reasonable workplace accommodations, and that this long-term sidelining constitutes discrimination under French labour law.
Orange told French outlet La Dépêche that the company had taken Laurence's 'personal social situation' into account and ensured she was kept in the best possible conditions during her time away from active duties.
The telecoms giant also claimed she had been considered for a return to work in a new role, though this never materialised, as she was frequently on sick leave at the time.
FEMAIL has reached out to Orange for further comment.
