A Spanish woman has decided to take her employer to court after losing her job for consistently arriving at work ahead of her scheduled start time.
Being terminated for tardiness is not uncommon, generally aligning with company expectations for punctuality.
However, this case involves the opposite scenario in which the Spanish employee was dismissed for consistently being too early, causing issues for her employer.
According to Metro, the woman was cautioned multiple times against arriving early, as she frequently showed up between 6:45 and 7am, 40 minutes prior to her official start time of 7:30 am.
The woman’s employer explicitly instructed her not to begin work or clock in before her designated start time, providing warnings both verbally and in writing.
The employer also claimed that the woman attempted to log into the company app before arriving at the office.
Despite being warned, she continued to arrive early on at least 19 occasions, leading her boss to eventually terminate her employment.
In addition to her punctuality, the woman was accused of trying to sell a used company car battery without authorization.
Following her dismissal, she brought the matter to the Social Court of Alicante, Spain, alleging that her termination was unfair.
The court ruled in favor of the employer, stating that ‘excessive punctuality’ was not the central issue.
The court determined that her attempt to sell the battery revealed a pattern of disloyalty and her failure to adhere to rules despite prior warnings.
They cited the woman’s disregard for workplace regulations as a violation of Article 54 of the Spanish Workers’ Statute, which lays out conditions under which a company can justifiably terminate an employee.
The story prompted social media users to express support for the woman, viewing her situation as unjust.
One user commented: “This is the first time I’ve heard someone could lose their job for arriving early. At my workplace, the boss would turn you into a statue.”
Another remarked: “If you’re late, they’re angry. If you’re early, they’re angry.”
While the court’s decision currently stands, the woman has the option to appeal to the Supreme Court of Valencia.