Man Sues Employer Over Boring Job And Wins Case
All of us, at one time or another, have had a boring job. It can be tedious, but would you sue your employer over it? Is your employer supposed to keep you entertained? A guy in France sued his employer because his job was boring and he won!
Frederic Desnard, who worked as a manager at a perfume company until 2015, sued his former employer because his job was so boring that it made him depressed.
This wild court case started in 2016, when Frederic Desnard made headlines for suing his employer for $400,000 for making him work a boring job. Due to his boredom, he became depressed. Because of his depression, he had to take some time off of work for several months, and believes his company used his prolonged absence as an excuse to fire him. Last week, after four years of litigation, 48-year-old Desnard has won his case, and a paycheck of $45,000.
Paris’s appeals court ruled that Desnard suffered from “bore out,” which is technically the opposite of burnout, where an employee is overworked. His lawyer claimed that the complete lack of stimulation at work left the man feeling “destroyed” and “ashamed,” even triggering an epileptic fit when he was driving.
What was originally considered a joke among law experts has now become the first such verdict of its kind in France, and will likely be cited as a precedent in future cases. Suing employers for lack of work or boredom may actually become a thing in the near future.
I’m surprised that Desnard won the case. Here in the U.S., I am not sure that would happen. I understand boredom can lead to depression, but he did have the choice to search for other employment. I don’t know the ins and outs of his job, but I wonder if his job could have been less boring if he took the initiative on some projects. Again, I’m unaware of his specific job description.
I’ve never expected my employer to make my job “exciting” or “not boring”. I’ve had a few boring jobs in my life, but depending on what your interests are would probably add to the “boringness “of a job. If you don’t like a job, you look for another! Imagine if we could sue someone or something because it was boring? The courts would be slammed!
You can check out more on the story here.
