Paris: Frenchman claims his employer gave him so little to do that he suffered from "bore out" and is now demanding €360,000 ($541,000) in compensation.

The term "burn out", when employees collapse due to stress and overwork, is well-known but Frederic Desnard, 44, from Paris, has accused his ex-employer, a prestigious perfumes company, of subjecting him to something far worse: being bored stiff.

Lawyer says company tried to bore employee to death.

He said bosses at Interparfum stripped him of his real managerial role and instead foisted mind-numbingly dull tasks on him over a four-year period.

Mr Desnard described the process as "an insidious descent into hell, a nightmare" that led to him suffering from a host of health problems, including "epilepsy, ulcers, sleep problems and serious depression".