French man demands $590,000 after being 'bored out' of his job

Do you enjoy your work/study?

What thinks make a job interesting/boring?

A French man is demanding $590,000 from his employer. He said his employer gave him so little to do he became too bored.

Frederic , 44, from Paris, has accused his employer, perfume company Interparfum, of taking away his management job. And then giving him dull tasks for 4 years.

He says the company lost a major contract and was preparing for some big changes.

He said it was an increasing nightmare.  And this caused him to have health problems.

He said he became depressed. And he was ashamed to be paid to do nothing. said. "

He was fired in 2014 after seven months' sick leave. Now he wants more than $590,000 from the company and missed pay. This pay includes holiday pay and not getting a potential promotion.

Before the court date his lawyer said the company was trying to bore him so much so they could fire him without paying compensation. 

However, the company's lawyer, the man had "no proof." And that his stories were could not be trusted because they kept changing. The man said he had - "burn out" - but then changed the story to boredom.

And that he never told the company he was bored during the 4 years. .  

The employee claims the company is harassing him. 

This is not the first time lack of work has been news in France.

In 2015 a train worker was paid $8195 a month for 12 years. And this man had never worked a day for the train company.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=2, B=7, C=1, D=8, E=6, F=4, G=5, H=3

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1.      The angry customer is demanding a refund.

2.      The President is accused of stealing money.

3.      He is a dull person. His voice and what he says makes us bored.

4.      After he was caught cheating, he felt ashamed.

5.      This young man is the best in his class. He has so much potential.  

6.      Here is your compensation for all the hard work.

7.      He has been working 12 hours every day, I think he will burn out.

8.      My boss is harassing me to finish this project by 12 pm.

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1.      Do you think this French man’s demands are fair? Why or why not?

2.      Why do you think the company’s lawyer is accusing the employee of changing his words or story?

3.      Would you stay in a dull job?

4.      What things could make you feel ashamed?

5.      What is your biggest potential in your work or study?

6.      How do you feel about the compensation the French worker is asking for?

7.      Is burn out a problem for Korean workers? Talk about it.

8.      Is employer harassment a crime in Korea?