Fired for Leaving One Minute Early Woman Wins Lawsuit in Job Dispute

Updated April 13th 2025, 09:37 IST The court noted that the company failed to issue any formal warnings or take corrective steps before deciding to sack her. New Delhi: In a case that’s sparked debate over workplace fairness in China, a woman who was fired for leaving work just one minute early on six occasions in a single month has won a lawsuit against her former employer. The woman, identified only by her surname Wang, had been working at the Guangzhou-based company for three years with what the court described as a “rather good performance record.

” No Warnings, No Just Cause According to a report from the South China Morning Post, the local court ruled Wang's termination unlawful. The court noted that the company failed to issue any formal warnings or take corrective steps before deciding to sack her despite the minor nature of her alleged infractions. The ruling emphasized that leaving a minute early did not constitute "getting off early" in any meaningful sense.



As such, the decision to terminate her contract was found to be neither reasonable nor backed by sufficient evidence. From Surveillance Footage to Courtroom Battle Wang revealed that at the end of last year, she was contacted by a human resources manager who informed her that surveillance records showed she had clocked out one minute early on six separate days in a month. The company then proceeded to terminate her employment based on this observation alone.

Feeling the decision was unjust, Wang filed a complaint with the local labour rights authority and subsequently took the company to court. While the exact compensation she will receive remains undisclosed, the court's verdict has been hailed as a win for workers facing excessive scrutiny. China’s Evolving Labour Landscape This isn't an isolated incident.

In November 2023, a man named Zhang won a 350,000 yuan (approx. ₹41.6 lakh) settlement after being fired for taking a short nap following overtime work.

Zhang had served more than two decades as a department manager at a chemical company in Jiangsu province before his dismissal. Similarly, in March 2024, a law firm in Beijing was fined after illegally extending staff working hours—an unusual move that was widely praised across Chinese social media for holding employers accountable. Published April 13th 2025, 09:37 IST.