Unusual Legal Victory for Chinese Woman Fired Over Minute’s Early Departure

A Chinese woman, known by her surname Wang, won a lawsuit against her former employer. She had been terminated for leaving work one minute early on six occasions within a month, leading to the legal dispute.

The case has drawn considerable attention due to the seemingly minor reason for the dismissal. The local court in Guangdong province, where Wang had worked for three years with a strong work history, heard the case.

The court sided with Wang, asserting that leaving one minute before the official end of the workday could not be considered an early departure.

The company did not issue any prior warnings or attempt to correct Wang’s behavior before firing her, the court pointed out. Her dismissal was based entirely on surveillance footage that showed she left early.

The court explicitly ruled that Wang’s firing was illegal, citing insufficient evidence and the company’s unreasonable actions.

The amount of damages Wang will receive from her previous employer has not been made public.

Wang stated that her Human Resources (HR) manager called her late last year to inform her that surveillance records indicated she had left her desk one minute early on six days that month.

Wang filed a complaint with the local labor rights organization and then took her case to court to pursue legal recourse after being fired.