Insurer Says Employee Doesn't Look Depressed in Facebook Photos
November 23, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A Canadian woman on long-term sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits because her insurance agent found photos of her on Facebook in which she appeared to be having fun, according to the Associated Press.
Nathalie Blanchard, who has been on leave from her job at
IBM for the last year, was diagnosed with major depression and was receiving
monthly sick-leave benefits from insurer Manulife, the news report said. When
her payments stopped this fall, Blanchard called Manulife and says she was told
the Facebook photos were evidence she was no longer depressed and available to
work.
The insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard
posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a
Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party, and on a sun holiday. Blanchard
told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that on her doctor’s advice, she tried to
have fun, including nights out at her local bar with friends and short getaways
to sun destinations, as a way to forget her problems, according to the AP.