Spanish Employee Terminated for Arriving 40 Minutes Early Despite Multiple Warnings: A Workplace Compliance Case

A logistics worker in Spain has been terminated from her position for consistently arriving at work approximately 40 minutes before her scheduled start time, despite receiving multiple warnings from management. The 22-year-old employee, whose contract specified a 7:30 am start time, regularly arrived between 6:45 am and 7:00 am.

The employer issued both verbal and written warnings beginning in 2023, instructing her to adhere to the contracted schedule. However, the employee disregarded these directives and continued her early arrival pattern at least 19 additional times after formal cautions were issued.

Management ultimately decided to terminate her employment, citing serious misconduct. The employer claimed that her persistent early arrivals demonstrated a disregard for workplace instructions and did not represent genuine contribution to the company's operations.

The terminated employee challenged her dismissal at the Social Court of Alicante, contending that the termination was unjustified. Court proceedings revealed that beyond ignoring multiple warnings, she had attempted to log into the company system via their app before physically arriving at the workplace on several occasions.

Additionally, her employer alleged she had breached trust by selling a used company car battery without obtaining proper authorization. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the employer, clarifying that the issue was not her "excessive punctuality" but rather her consistent refusal to comply with workplace regulations—a violation considered serious under Article 54 of Spain's Workers' Statute.

This unusual case has generated considerable online discussion, with many questioning how punctuality could be grounds for termination. Employment specialists have noted that companies generally have the right to enforce specific working hours and access protocols once these have been clearly communicated to employees.

The woman retains the option to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court of Valencia.

In a somewhat similar case earlier this year, a Florida woman named Alice shared her experience of being terminated before her actual start date. Alice posted on Reddit's Jobs subreddit that her offer was withdrawn after she failed to appear on what the company claimed was her first day (September 2), despite her offer letter clearly stating September 22 as her start date.