Woman Sues European Telecom Giant For Paying Her Salary: Here’s Why

What might be considered a dream job for most of us has become a nightmare for a French woman. The woman made headlines when she sued telecom giant Orange for allegedly paying her salary for 20 years without assigning her any work.

Why The Woman Sued Employer For Paying Her Salary?

Would you do this? Laurence Van Wassenhove has sued her employer for paying her salary without assigning any work. According to Laurence, she was “sidelined” by the company after seeking a transfer because of her disability. Notably, Laurence has partial paralysis and epilepsy and was employed by the French telecom giant in 1993.

At the start of her career, she fit snugly into roles that complimented her abilities like secretarial and HR duties. Yet, in 2002, she decided to change locales within France. As reported by her legal comrades, her transfer request fell through with the new office failing to meet her required standards. Rather than finding appropriate solutions, Orange, her employing company, chose to stop allotting her any job duties.

Although Van Wassenhove maintained her full salary for the subsequent two decades, she claims to have suffered from “emotional distress” due to her unusual circumstances. She argues that the act of receiving payment with zero obligations led her to feel deserted professionally, which further intensified her sense of isolation.

Telecom Giant Rubbished Discrimination

Telecom giant Orange, stick to its statement that the company acted appropriately. The company claimed that it took Wassenhove’s medical condition into account and checked every possible option for her to “return to work in an adapted position.” However, the company also mentioned that her regular sick leaves made the process difficult.

The lawyers for Van Wassenhove argue that Orange fell short in providing sufficient accommodations for her disability, essentially keeping her in a professional deadlock where advancement was an uphill battle.