A 22-year-old woman in Spain has been fired for repeatedly arriving at work about 40 minutes before her official start time, despite two years of warnings to stop. She had been instructed not to show up between 6:45 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., as her shift began at 7:30 a.m., and was told she could not clock in or begin working early yet she continued to arrive with no assigned duties.
Her employer eventually dismissed her for serious misconduct, arguing that her persistent early arrivals constituted disobedience rather than dedication. She took the matter to the Social Court of Alicante, claiming the dismissal was unfair.
The court heard that she ignored numerous verbal and written warnings and arrived early on at least 19 occasions. Evidence also showed she sometimes tried to log into the company system via a mobile app before even reaching the office. The employer also accused her of breaching trust by selling a used company car battery without permission, which the court said reflected a wider pattern of disloyalty.
In the end, the court ruled in favor of the company, stating that the issue was not punctuality but her refusal to follow workplace rules. The judges found her actions amounted to a serious breach under Article 54 of the Spanish Workers’ Statute. She may still appeal to the Supreme Court of Valencia, but the ruling currently stands.
