Boss fires worker for arriving 40 minutes early every day

Showing up to work early might sound like a good thing, but for one woman in Spain, it actually got her fired. The 22 year old had a habit of clocking in 40 minutes ahead of her scheduled start time, even after being repeatedly told to stop.

Her boss had warned her for two years to stick to her 7.30am start, but she kept turning up between 6.45am and 7am, long before there was anything for her to do. Despite being told she wasn’t allowed to clock in or begin work early, she kept doing it anyway, according to the Daily Mail.

Eventually, her employer had enough and fired her for serious misconduct, arguing that her persistent early arrivals showed a refusal to follow instructions. They also said she was not actually helping the company by being there early and was simply ignoring the rules.

The woman wasn’t having it. She reportedly took her case to the Social Court of Alicante, saying the dismissal was unfair. But judges there didn’t agree. The court heard she had continued her early routine despite receiving both verbal and written warnings. She had shown up early at least 19 times and, on some days, even tried to log in through the company app before arriving at the office.

On top of that, the company accused her of something else: selling a used company car battery without permission, which they said showed a further lack of trust.

In its ruling, the court made it clear the issue wasn’t just about being too punctual. It was about her refusal to follow workplace policies. Under Article 54 of the Spanish Workers’ Statute, the court sided with the company, calling her actions a serious breach.

She may still appeal to the Supreme Court of Valencia, but for now, the ruling stands.

This comes not long after a woman in Florida was fired before she even started her job—thanks to what looked like a typo in her start date.