A Malaysian employer once became frustrated with an employee who would leave the office at exactly 5.30pm every day, regardless of whether his colleagues were still working or urgent tasks remained unfinished.
The employee would pack up his laptop as soon as the clock reached 5.30pm and casually tell his colleagues that he was heading home.
Initially, the employer did not pay much attention to the routine. However, he gradually became annoyed, particularly when urgent assignments came in shortly before the end of the working day.
He recalled that whenever he gave the employee a task at around 5.20pm, the worker would immediately ask whether it needed to be completed that same day.
The employer eventually advised him not to be too particular about working hours if he wanted to advance in his career.
The employee simply acknowledged the advice, while his colleagues later began joking about his strict 5.30pm departure time.
Some would tease him when the clock approached 5.25pm, saying he only had a few minutes left before he “disappeared”. The employee would usually laugh along, but would still leave at exactly 5.30pm.
Everything changed when the employee suddenly failed to report for work one day.
The company’s Human Resources department later informed the employer that the employee’s father had passed away that morning.
It was then that the employer discovered the real reason behind the employee’s daily routine.
His father had suffered a stroke and had been bedridden for two years, while his elderly mother also needed assistance. Much of the responsibility for caring for his father had therefore fallen on the employee.
Every morning before going to work, he would bathe his father, change his diapers and prepare his medication.
A neighbour helped look after the elderly man during the day but could only stay until around 6pm. This meant the employee needed to leave work on time so he could return home and take over the caregiving duties.
The revelation left the employer deeply affected, as what had appeared to be a lack of commitment was actually an employee trying to fulfil his responsibilities towards his family.
Those hours after work had also been among the final moments the employee was able to spend with his father.
Reflecting on what happened, the employer said workplaces can sometimes be too quick to judge employees based solely on their behaviour at work.
“If an employee doesn’t stay back, we say they’re not committed. If they’re quiet, we say they’re not proactive. If they don’t join gatherings after work, we say they don’t know how to bond,” he said.
He added that employees who insist on leaving on time are sometimes unfairly viewed as lacking ownership or dedication.
“But the truth is, we only see 10 per cent of their lives. The remaining 90 per cent is a story we create ourselves in our heads,” he said.
