Early bird gets the sack: Woman in Spain fired after repeatedly arriving early for work
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Over a two-year period, the company in Spain issued multiple warnings, asking the employee to adhere to established working hours.
PHOTO: UNSPLASH
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A woman in Spain was fired for overdosing on what is universally promoted by corporations worldwide as a virtue: punctuality.
The 22-year-old employee was given the boot after repeatedly turning up to work as early as 40 minutes before her scheduled start time, despite instructions from her employer to stop doing so, according to a report in British tabloid Metro.
The case, which was recently heard by the Social Court of Alicante, has drawn attention to an unlikely workplace controversy: when enthusiasm for work crosses into insubordination.
The employee, whose workday was scheduled to begin at 7.30am, had for two years showed up between 6.45am and 7am.
Her employer told the court she was not permitted to clock in early or begin working before her shift officially started, and that her early-bird routine was not really contributing anything to the company.
Over a two-year period, the company issued multiple verbal and written warnings, asking her to adhere to established working hours.
She did not. On at least 19 occasions, she arrived early anyway.
On some days, the court heard, she attempted to log into the company’s mobile application before she even reached the office.
To the company, this was not evidence of diligence but a persistent refusal to follow instructions.
The situation escalated when the employer dismissed her for serious misconduct, arguing that her behaviour did not contribute to the business and undermined workplace rules.
The company also accused her of a separate breach of trust: selling a used company car battery without authorisation. The court said this episode reinforced a broader pattern of disloyalty.
The employee challenged her dismissal, but the court sided with the employer, emphasising that the issue was not about “excessive punctuality”, as the ruling put it. Rather, it was about a continued failure to comply with workplace policies. The ruling leaves open the possibility of a further appeal to the Supreme Court of Valencia.
