Where I currently work, I am generally the only one who is on time. It seems to be pretty casual about punctuality. For me, it is a matter of being a “morning person”, wanting to have some time to settle in, in the morning, check some personal things, be ready to be productive right away. Also, I am NOT good at doing anything at home in the morning, other than getting showered, dressed, and ready to go (no chores other than maybe toss a few bits into the cat bowl and rinse out my coffee cup). I would rather be ahead of the big traffic surges, as well. Leaving home 10 minutes later can add 15 or more minutes to the commute.
Congratulations to your wife! That is good that she was recognized for standing out in a positive way!
You’ve just described me! I’m exactly the same. I get in a half hour early to relax or maybe look at a headline (when I worked in corporate).