Employee forced to apologise for taking lunch 3 minutes early

A Japanese employee has been humiliated by his bosses because he “habitually” left his desk three minutes early to slip out and buy some lunch.

The 64-year-old, an employee of the waterworks bureau in the western city of Kobe, was found to be leaving his work station three minutes early on 26 occasions over a seven-month period - the Guardian reports.

As a result, senior officials at the bureau called a news conference where they described the man’s conduct as “deeply regrettable” and bowed in apology.

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“The lunch break is from noon to 1pm,” a spokesperson said. “He left his desk before the break.”