Laurence Van Wassenhove, a disabled woman, has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, the telecommunications company Orange, claiming that she was not assigned any work for the past 20 years, despite receiving her full salary for 20 years.
Van Wassenhove started working at France Telecom (later bought by Orange) in 1993. Because she suffered from epilepsy and partial paralysis, she was initially placed in roles suited to her disability, such as human resources and secretarial work.
In 2002, Ms. Van Wassenhove asked to be transferred to another department within the company, but the new position was not a good fit and no further adjustments were made. Ms. Van Wassenhove said the company continued to pay her full salary but gave her no work duties.
She alleges that this situation amounts to harassment and discrimination on the basis of her disability. Van Wassenhove claims that getting paid without doing any work left her isolated and without professional fulfillment. She further claims that her complaint to the relevant authorities in 2015 did not result in any significant change.
Orange, meanwhile, maintains that it acted appropriately. The company says it took van Wassenhove’s health into account and explored options for her to return to work in an appropriate role. But it claims that the process was difficult because of her frequent sick days.
This case highlights the challenges of providing accommodation to employees with disabilities in the workplace. It remains to be seen how the court will rule on the matter.