A woman in her 20s in Spain was fired for "arriving at work too early," in an unusual case that has sparked debate over whether the real issue was her repeated refusal to follow company orders.
According to the UK's Daily Mail and court documents reported Thursday, the 22-year-old office worker, identified only as A, had consistently arrived at her workplace in Alicante between 6:45 a.m. and 7 a.m. since 2023—approximately 40 minutes before her official start time of 7:30 a.m.
The company issued multiple verbal and written warnings, stating that clocking in or starting work before the designated time was not permitted. Despite being unable to perform any tasks during those early hours, A continued arriving before dawn.
The employer ultimately terminated her, citing that "arriving early had no relevance to company contribution" and that she had "repeatedly ignored supervisors' instructions."
A appealed to a social court, claiming wrongful dismissal, but the court ruled the termination was justified. Evidence presented at trial showed she had arrived early more than 19 times after receiving multiple warnings. She was also suspected of selling used batteries from a company vehicle without authorization. On some occasions, she had attempted to log into the company app before even arriving at the office.
"The issue is not A's 'excessive punctuality,' but her repeated violation of regulations and failure to comply with instructions," the court stated, deeming it a serious violation under Spain's labor law.
The case has drawn significant online attention in Spain. Many netizens questioned why arriving early would be problematic, but labor experts took a different view.
"If internal company rules were clearly communicated, businesses have the right to strictly control access and work start times," experts said, calling the court's decision reasonable.
A may appeal to the Valencia High Court, but for now, the dismissal stands.
