Not working for 6 years but still receiving full salary, awarded with dedication award

Mr. Joaquin Garcia (69 years old, living in Spain) did not go to work for 6 years. However, during this time, he still received his full salary.

Garcia was hired as a supervisory engineer at a wastewater treatment plant in Cadiz, Spain, in 2019. He faced bullying at work because of his family’s political views. His manager refused to give him any responsibilities. Instead of complaining, he decided to “quietly quit,” meaning he didn’t give notice and simply stopped showing up for work.

Garcia was overseen by two entities: the water utility board and the City Council. Managers on both sides mistakenly believed the other was still giving him work.

Garcia took advantage of the confusion and spent his time at home reading philosophy books. For six years, the employee's absence went unnoticed, until he was about to receive the "Dedication Employee" medal on the unit's 20th anniversary.

Vice Mayor Jorge Blas Fernández was tasked with finding him. An employee told Fernández that Garcia had not seen his colleague in years.

"I wonder if Garcia is still working there or has retired, but the payroll shows that he still receives a regular salary," Fernández told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.

Fernández immediately called Garcia to question him and found him confused. In the end, the “ghost employee” had to go to court and only had to pay one year of after-tax wages.

Garcia defended himself by citing instances of bullying and claiming he had been coming to the office after work every day. However, the court had ample evidence that he had done nothing for the past six years.

Garcia's story has been widely discussed on social media, with conflicting views on who is at fault. "If he was paid for doing nothing for six years, it's obvious that there are other colleagues who are not working either. If everyone was working hard and efficiently, they would definitely find out that the team is understaffed," one user commented.

"My husband decided not to come to work for over a year and a half. Management can't really fire you unless you resign and it can take years to officially terminate an employee's employment contract",another account said.

One netizen concluded: "Getting paid without ever having to work, so Garcia's manager never comes to work either."