Worker is fired from her job after boss was fed up along with her arriving 40 minutes EARLY on a regular basis
A worker has been fired after repeatedly turning up 40 minutes early for her shift.
The 22-year-old was first told in 2023 to quit arriving ahead of schedule, but continued showing up between 6.45am and 7am, even though her contracted start time was 7.30am and she was not allowed to clock in or begin work before then.
Earlier this year, her boss dismissed her for serious misconduct, arguing her early arrivals meant she had no duties to perform and was not contributing to the company.
The woman challenged the sacking and lodged an appeal with the Social Court of Alicante.
Despite multiple verbal and written warnings, she turned up early 19 more times – and on some days even logged in via the company app before reaching the office, the court heard.
She had also previously sold a used company vehicle battery without permission, which her employer cited as further disloyalty.
The court upheld her dismissal, ruling that the issue was not her ‘excessive punctuality’ but her persistent disobedience of company rules – a serious breach of duty under Article 54 of the Spanish Workers’ Statute.
A worker has been fired after repeatedly turning up 40 minutes early for her shift – despite warnings from her boss to stop (stock image)
The woman challenged the sacking and lodged an appeal with the Social Court of Alicante (pictured)
The case has sparked debate on social media, with some questioning whether arriving too early can justify losing a job.
But employment experts say firms are entitled to enforce strict working-hours and access rules once they have been clearly communicated.
Judges found that the employee’s repeated behaviour had damaged trust and loyalty between her and the employer and was serious enough to warrant termination.
She may still appeal to the Supreme Court of Valencia, but the ruling stands for now.
It comes after earlier this year a woman revealed she got fired from her new job before even starting… and the reason why sparked a fierce debate online.
The woman, named Alice, from Florida, took to Reddit under the subreddit called Jobs to share her disappointment after she was let go from her workplace ahead of her first day.
In the post, she explained that she received the news that the company had rescinded their offer after she failed to show up to work on her first day, which was September 2.
The only problem? Her offer email actually listed the starting date as September 22.
Since she was given the wrong information, Alice took to the internet to ask for advice on how to handle the situation, and it sparked a fierce reaction from other Reddit users.
