Employee sacked for reporting 15 mins late to work; Reddit post sparks debate
Company cites behavioural misconduct and disrespectful conduct after employee suggests reporting after lunch in response to half-day salary deductions
A recent Reddit post has drawn attention to an unusual dismissal, in which an employee was fired for misconduct after repeatedly arriving late to work. According to the post, the employee reported to the office 10–15 minutes late for five consecutive days.
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The post included a screenshot of an official email citing “continued behavioural misconduct, habitual late reporting to work, and disrespectful conduct towards senior management”.
Fired for arriving 15 minutes late
The employee went on to describe the sequence of events that led to his termination.
According to the account shared online, the employee was advised to mark a half-day as he had arrived late at the office. He reportedly told management that if a short delay was being treated as a half-day, it would make more sense for him to report after lunch. “I said that if the company wanted to apply a half-day, then I would come in after lunch,” he wrote.
According to the termination email, his conduct was deemed to be in violation of the company’s Code of Conduct and disciplinary policies, and was said to have undermined professional standards. “Such conduct is in violation of the company’s Code of Conduct and disciplinary policies,” the email stated.
Social media reacts
The post quickly gained traction on social media, with many users questioning the decision to terminate the employee without issuing warnings, while others backed the company’s strict stance on punctuality.
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One user commented, “If the company has a half-day salary deduction for coming late, you don’t escalate matters by threatening to turn up after lunch. Traffic is a weak excuse for being late. Be more professional, and if you don’t agree with the rules, look for another job.”
Another user wrote, “Terminating someone for being 10–15 minutes late is extreme. But doubling down by saying you’ll come in even later doesn’t make sense either.”
A third user added, “The reasons seem fairly solid, and your explanation in the email isn’t very convincing. You admitted to the mistake and then chose confrontation instead of apologising.”