Man who skipped work for 6 years was only found out after he was set to win an award

We've all grown fed up with our jobs at point over our careers, but this guy grew so tired of his job that he simply stopped going.

People who wish to leave their jobs will usually tell their superiors of their intentions and will then work a notice period (unless you take a leaf out of Piers Morgan's book and quit your job on live TV, that is).

Joaquín didn't do either of these things, however. Instead, he simply stopped showing up.

While most bosses would notice if an employee didn't show up for work one day, Joaquín went a whole six years before his company realized.

A man in Spain grew tired of his job so simply stopped showing up (Getty Stock)

Joaquín was a building supervisor for a water treatment plant in Cádiz, Spain, and had been employed by the local government for more than 20 years.

But, 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.

By what could only be described as a miracle, this trick worked for him for six whole years.

As to how Joaquín got away with it for so long, it seems to have come down to a mix of bureaucratic oversight, the complex structure of the workplace, and a generous dose of luck.

Joaquín didn't tell anyone about his unapproved absence (Getty Stock)

His 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.

Over this time frame, Joaquín was still paid is annual $41,500 salary. Upon being found out, he was ordered to pay back just $30,000 (the maximum he could reportedly be penalized for).

He continued to cash his $41,500 pay checks (Getty Stock)

Deputy mayor Jorge Blas went on to speak to Spanish newspaper El Mundo about the incident.

"I wondered whether he was still working there, had he retired, had he died? But the payroll showed he was still receiving a salary," he said.

“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," Jorge went on.

I'd hazard a guess that 'f**k all' wasn't the reply he was looking for from Joaquín...