French Employee Claims ‘Moral Harassment’ Over Company Giving Salary For 20 Years But No Work

France telecom company now Orange employee Laurence Van Wassenhove claims that she has been paid her salary by the company for 20 years but at the same time the company has not assigned her any work. In 1993, Laurence Van, who has partial paralysis and epilepsy, started to work for the telecommunications company in France. She was employed in job roles suited for her conditions, like human resources positions and secretary. In 2002, Laurence Van requested that her company transfer her to a different region within France. As per her lawyers, Laurence’s request for a transfer was approved, but the new workplace was not adapted for her needs. The company stopped giving her any work to do, but Laurence was still receiving her full salary. Laurence Van filed a complaint against discrimination with the government and the High Authority in 2015. Orange responded by appointing a mediator to settle the issue, but Laurence Van stated that her condition did not improve.

Laurence Van claims moral harassment

Laurence Van states that being paid without getting work led to moral harassment and made her feel isolated professionally. She argues that her situation caused a loss of purpose and severe sadness. According to the Sun, she stated that “being paid and sitting at home without work is not a privilege. It’s very hard to deal with.” Laurence’s lawyer, David Nabet Martin, added that isolation has led to depression and anxiety. The company denies any kind of wrongdoing and also highlighted that it took into consideration the medical condition of Laurence and also explored various ways for her to return to a job that suited her needs. Orange argues that she applied for frequent sick leaves, which made it challenging to implement these options.

Vulnerable to workplace discrimination

People with disabilities face discrimination in the workplace. Sometimes people with disabilities are not hired for the jobs for which they are qualified due to their disabilities. One of the major forms of discrimination is that they do not get the same opportunities as compared to other employees. The workplace is not accessible to people with disabilities, which makes it hard for them to do their work comfortably and affects their overall productivity. In the workplace, some people might also become victims of bullying or be treated unfairly by other employees. Discrimination like this makes it hard for people with disabilities to succeed in their work and can sometimes lead to mental illnesses as well.