This Guy’s Suing His Company for $415,000 Because He was Bored at Work

We’ve all been there.

Whether you’re endlessly folding shirts for a retail display, spinning a sign on an empty highway, or remaking a drink for someone who insists you put half a pump too much vanilla in their latte (RIP my brief career at Starbucks)… some jobs are boring.

But have you ever been so bored or frustrated at work you considered suing your boss?

That’s exactly what Parisian Frederic Desnard is doing.

His job was so boring, he’s demanding $415,000 in damages for “distress.”

How to Get Paid to Do Nothing

Desnard’s official title at Interparfum, where he was employed from 2010 to 2014, was “General Service Director” — but he claims he was given only menial tasks until his workload disappeared completely.

Desnard told CNN Money “eventually there was so little for him to do that his bosses simply told him to go home and come back when they call him. The phone call never came, he claimed.”

After a seven-month absence, Desnard was laid off — but not before suffering a “bore-out” (think burnout, but more… boring) that left him “destroyed” and in a “serious depression.”

“I was ashamed of being paid for doing nothing,” he said.

Desnard’s salary was $4,000 per month.

Bored at Work?

For many of us, getting paid (well!) to do nothing sounds like a dream come true.

Since Desnard allegedly wasn’t even required to put in office time, he could’ve easily used the free income to get a freelance business off the ground, spend time with family or travel.

But a boring job you actually have to be at isn’t quite so appealing.

Luckily, we have some suggestions to help.

If you hate having a job at all, try these suggestions to avoid full-time employment like the plague.

And if you want a job, but you’re ready to quit the one you’ve got right now, make sure to try these 10 strategies first.

Can’t take it even a second longer?

Check out our ultimate guide to quitting your job before you walk in and launch into that well-rehearsed (and oh-so-cathartic) monologue you’ve been writing.

And hey — if you do it right, you might just get a raise!

It might be even better than getting paid for doing nothing.

Your Turn: Are you bored at work?

Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her creative writing has been featured in DMQ Review, Sweet: A Literary Confection and elsewhere.