The Tel Aviv Regional Labor Court has ruled that a former customer service manager at the National Insurance Institute may be entitled to have post-traumatic psychological injuries and fibromyalgia recognized as work-related, finding that she had established the existence of an exceptional workplace incident warranting further medical review.
The court recently ruled that the woman had presented sufficient evidence of a "special event" at work — a legal threshold under Israeli labor law that can allow psychological injuries to be recognized as occupational injuries if they are linked to a specific, identifiable incident rather than to ongoing workplace stress.
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Judge Dafna Hasson Zacharia ordered the appointment of independent medical experts in psychiatry and rheumatology to determine whether there is a causal connection between the incident and the woman's subsequent mental health condition and diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and sleep disturbances.
The plaintiff worked for many years at the National Insurance Institute, the government agency responsible for administering social security benefits, pensions and disability payments. In 2014, after winning a competitive hiring process, she was appointed manager of a customer service department.
According to the court ruling, she received strong professional evaluations during her tenure, and her department was recognized as one of the branch's top-performing units.
The woman alleged that her work environment changed dramatically after a new branch manager took office in 2019.
According to her testimony, the new manager repeatedly criticized her publicly, changed established work procedures, revoked some of her managerial authorities, held meetings related to her department without inviting her and portrayed her unit as underperforming.
The dispute reached its peak in June 2020.
During regular public reception hours, one employee reportedly said she could not provide services outside her area of expertise. Rather than referring the matter to the plaintiff, who managed the department, the employee turned to another supervisor.
The branch manager and the human resources manager then joined the discussion and handled the matter themselves while, according to the plaintiff, completely ignoring her authority despite the issue falling within her area of responsibility. The incident took place in front of both employees and members of the public visiting the office.
In a lawsuit filed in April 2023, the woman argued that she felt publicly humiliated and professionally undermined, describing the incident as "the straw that broke the camel's back."
She said she subsequently developed insomnia, crying spells, dizziness and widespread physical pain. She later sought medical treatment, was diagnosed with a psychological disorder and fibromyalgia, and ultimately relinquished her management position.
Adv. Arik ShalevPhoto: Studio Shahar TamirThe National Insurance Institute, which also serves as Israel's workers' compensation authority, argued that no exceptional incident had occurred.
Instead, it contended that the case involved, at most, ongoing workplace stress, which under Israeli case law generally does not qualify as a work-related injury unless it can be linked to a specific, unusual event.
The agency also argued that the interaction was an ordinary workplace discussion between managers and employees, that the plaintiff was not directly involved in the conversation, and that she continued working afterward and did not seek medical treatment until about two months later.
Judge Hasson Zacharia rejected those arguments at this stage of the proceedings.
She described the plaintiff's testimony as "credible, consistent and coherent," finding that it was supported by witness testimony and documentary evidence.
The judge ruled that the incident went beyond a routine workplace conversation because senior managers addressed a matter that fell squarely within the plaintiff's authority while excluding her, thereby undermining her professional standing in front of colleagues and members of the public.
The court further found that although the plaintiff had experienced workplace tensions beforehand, the June 2020 incident constituted a distinct "peak event" that had an exceptional impact.
The ruling noted that Israeli courts may recognize a specific workplace incident as an occupational injury even when it occurs against the backdrop of prolonged stress, provided the triggering event can be distinguished from the broader pattern.
The court stopped short of recognizing the woman's conditions as work-related injuries.
Instead, it ordered psychiatric and rheumatology experts to determine whether the workplace incident caused or materially contributed to her psychological condition and fibromyalgia before issuing a final ruling.