The man in Spain was due to receive an award for his long service to the company.
We've all heard of the invisible man, but what about the invisible employee? In a world where many people wish they could avoid work for a day or two, a man in Spain took things to a whole new level. Meet Joaquin Garcia, 69, a man who skipped work for six years without anyone noticing until, ironically enough, he won an award for his long service.
Image from: unsplash.com
It all started innocently enough. Joaquin, a water treatment plant construction supervisor in Cadiz, Spain, was employed by the local government for more than 20 years. As time went on, the work environment became increasingly stressful, leading Joaquin to adopt a rather unconventional approach to coping: he simply stopped showing up for work.
Amazingly, this plan worked for a full six years. During this time, Joaquin was still collecting his annual salary of €37,000 despite not working at all. One might wonder how such a thing could go unnoticed.
The answer lies in bureaucratic oversight, complex job structures, and a generous dose of luck. Joaquin's absence was conveniently overlooked due to the mixing of the two departments, assuming that the other was responsible for overseeing his duties. The situation took a hilarious turn when Joaquin was nominated for an award for his 20 years at the company.
Imagine the surprise of his managers when they invited him to the ceremony and discovered that he hadn't set foot in the office in six years.
When questioned, Joaquin admitted he was not working, but claimed he had been the victim of workplace bullying and had initially stopped attending to avoid conflict. He claimed to have studied philosophy in his spare time, making the most of his unscheduled free time.
"I wondered if he was still working there, if he had retired, if he was dead? But the payroll showed that he was still getting paid," deputy mayor Jorge Blas told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.
"I called him and asked, 'What did you do yesterday?' A month before that and another month before that?’ He didn’t know what to say,” Blass said.
Joaquin was eventually fined €27,000 for his prolonged absence, the maximum fine that could be imposed. However, he petitioned against the fine, and some people even admired his audacity and were amused at the absurdity of the situation.
So the next time you dream of taking some time off work, remember Joaquin Garcia, the man who accidentally turned an extended vacation into a legendary tale.
Just don't expect to win prizes if you do like him!