A engineer in Nanjing, China, was shown the door by the company he worked for more than four years due to alleged misconduct.
Dissatisfied by the dismissal, the man sued the company and was awarded a sum of money as compensation after successfully proving his case.
Fired out of the blue
According to local media reports, the engineer, Xiao Lin, returned to the company in January 2025 after completing a project overseas and carried out his tasks dutifully.
However, on February 13, 2025, Xiao Lin was told that he was fired for “serious misconduct”, leaving him shocked and confused.
When Xiao Lin confronted the company over his dismissal, those at the top claimed they had more than 10 CCTV clips to prove that he was slacking off at work.
Here’s what CCTV footage reportedly found:
- Jan 17: Left his desk for 9 minutes, checked his phone, and spoke to colleague for 4 minutes
- Jan 23: Left his desk for 15 minutes, chatted with colleagues for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon, packed up 3 minutes before the end of the workday
- Jan 24: Turned on his computer 8 minutes late and checked his phone
- Jan 26: Left his desk for 14 minutes, checked his phone, and left work 4 minutes early
- Feb 5: His computer screen was inactive for 28 minutes, and he left his workstation 4 minutes before work ended
Countered allegations
Displeased by the accusations, Xiao Lin sued the company and addressed each of them in court.
When addressing the allegation of him leaving work early, Xiao Lin said his office was located on the fourth floor, while the clock-in/out machine was on the first floor.
He also questioned whether it’d be counted as leaving work early if he were to leave his desk four minutes earlier to wait for the elevator and still clock out on time.
As for the allegation of him chit-chatting with colleagues during working hours, Xiao Lin argued that talking to colleagues was part of basic work communication.
He also claimed that the company did not give him any warning or opportunity to explain himself before firing him, adding that he had a clean record and had no disciplinary issues.
After reviewing the evidence, the court said the behaviors captured on CCTV footage were brief and infrequent, and couldn’t prove that serious disciplinary violations were made.
It also ordered the company to pay Xiao Lin 108,000 yuan (approx. RM64,000) in compensation for unlawful dismissal.
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