The man in Spain was set to be recognized for his long service with the company.

We’ve all heard about The Invisible Man, but how about the invisible employee?

In a world where many people wish they could get away with skipping work for a day or two, a man in Spain took things to a whole new level.

Meet Joaquín García, 69, the man who skipped work for six years without anyone noticing—until he, quite ironically, won an award for his long service.

The employee hadn’t come to work for six years (Getty stock images)

It all started innocently enough. Joaquín, a building supervisor for a water treatment plant in Cádiz, Spain, had been employed by the local government for more than 20 years. As time went on, the work environment became increasingly stressful, leading Joaquín to adopt a rather unconventional approach to coping: he simply stopped showing up.

Amazingly, this plan worked for six whole years. During this time, Joaquín still collected his annual salary of $41,500 – even though he wasn’t doing any work at all.

One might wonder how such a thing could go unnoticed. The answer lies in a mix of bureaucratic oversight, the complex structure of the workplace, and a generous dose of luck.

Joaquín’s absence was conveniently overlooked due to a mix-up between two departments, each assuming the other was responsible for overseeing his duties.

The situation took a hilarious turn when Joaquín was nominated for an award for his 20 years of service to the company. Imagine the surprise of his supervisors when they called him in for the ceremony and discovered he hadn’t set foot in the office for six years.

The absent worker has since been ordered to pay back $30,000, the maximum he could be penalized for, the BBC reported.

The man’s absence wasn’t noticed for six years (Getty stock images)

When questioned, Joaquín admitted to not working but claimed he had been a victim of workplace bullying and had initially stopped attending to avoid conflict. He maintained that he had been studying philosophy in his spare time, making the most of his unplanned sabbatical.

“I wondered whether he was still working there, had he retired, had he died? But the payroll showed he was still receiving a salary,” deputy mayor Jorge Blas told Spanish newspaper El Mundo, according to The Local.

“I called him up and asked him, ‘What did you do yesterday? The month before, the month before that?’ He didn’t know what to say,” Blas said.

In the end, Joaquín was fined $30,000 for his prolonged absence, the maximum penalty that could be imposed, as reported by the BBC. However, he launched a petition against the fine, and some people even admiring his audacity, as well as being amused by the absurdity of the situation.

So, the next time you daydream about skipping work for a while, remember Joaquín García, the man who turned an accidental extended leave into a legendary tale.

Just don’t expect to win any awards if you follow in his footsteps!