A 22-year-old worker was fired for repeatedly coming in too early for her shift. Now the labor court in Alicante, Spain, confirmed the dismissal.
Her contract said to start at 7:30. Still, she routinely arrived at the workplace between 6:45 and 7:00. The company recorded 19 such cases. It said she continued to do so despite verbal and written warnings.
Wardens told the court that no work could start before 7.30am. Her early arrival disrupted the coordination of the team. The company argued that it ignored the guidelines. It amounted to insubordination under Article 54.2 of the Spanish Workers’ Statute.
The court agreed. It said her refusal to follow instructions and loss of trust justified her dismissal without compensation.
According to the court, she was dismissed for being “excessively punctual”. She was fired for her disloyalty.
The judges said her behavior showed clear disobedience. She arrived early at least 19 times and even tried to log in through the company app before getting to the office.
The company also claimed it sold a used car battery without approval. This contributed to the loss of confidence. The court ruled that her repeated refusal to follow instructions justified her dismissal.
Although the employee may appeal to a higher court, she has not disclosed whether she wants to continue with the appeal. Meanwhile, the bizarre reason for the termination has set Spanish social media on fire.
“This is the first time I’ve heard of someone losing their job for being early. In my workplace, the boss would make a statue of you,” said one user.
“They get mad when you’re late. They get mad if you’re early,” commented another.
Situation in Indian companies
The situation is completely different in India. Arriving on time is not only appreciated, but in many cases also encouraged.
An Indian manager earlier shared on Reddit that he might have to fire an employee for being 5-10 minutes late almost every day. The woman has been working in the company for 12 years. She continued to be late despite receiving two warnings from her previous manager for the same issue.
When this manager took over the team, he managed to improve its attitude and the quality of its work. Still, she was still late for work.
“It’s not a great feeling to have to fire someone for something like this, but if my manager comes down hard on me about it, I probably don’t have a choice,” the manager wrote.
