This makes a lot of sense in terms of game mechanics actually. Keeping stress low and health as well as family high will ultimately result in low or lower esteem, so your balance checks out. In the case of Tiago R2, I'm guessing they may have started with high esteem, then resorted to your approach. Their esteem couldn't increase, but neither did it decline much either.
I basically came in early every 5 days or something when esteem was low, but mostly arrived on time because I figured "no change" is the best play when so many variables are possible. Especially once I found that there are some really bad luck cards where "working" can give you stress and low health and no positives! but I never worked overtime or on weekends, initially as a role play thing since I'm absolutely against all that irl, but then I never needed to.