THE EZHR GUIDE TO AWOL EMPLOYEES
The time to start work has passed, and an employee has yet to show up or let you know about their absence. How should you respond to this scenario?
Your initial thoughts will understandably be concerned for the employee's wellbeing, prompting the immediate action of trying to reach out to them. But what if you can't contact them? Or what if they had previously requested a leave day for this date, got denied, and yet, are absent now? As an employer, how should you manage such situations?
So, what exactly constitutes an unauthorised absence? Simply put, it's when an employee fails to show up for work as anticipated, without providing any reason for their absence.
The first step to managing unauthorised absence is making contact to understand where they are. This may be via email, text or phone. If there are genuine concerns you may also use their emergency contact too.
If they don’t make contact in good time, we generally mean a few days, then you can write to them to asking to make contact and withhold pay until they inform you of what’s happened.
If you still cannot reach your employee after that point the next course of action is to send an AWOL (Absent Without Leave) letter. This letter should invite them to a disciplinary meeting, for which at least 48 hours notice should be given.
Should the employee fail to attend this meeting, it's advisable to invite them to a rescheduled second meeting. They should be informed that if they fail to attend this one, the meeting will likely proceed in their absence, and a decision may be reached without their input.
If the employee attends the disciplinary meeting and can provide a satisfactory reason for their unauthorised absence, remind them of the absence reporting process. Let them know a note will be added to their employee record, and repeat unauthorised absences could lead to formal action.
When the employee returns to work, conduct an investigation by asking essential questions such as why they were absent and why they didn't notify the company of their absence. If their responses are satisfactory and this isn't a recurring issue, remind them of your policy and the importance of notifying you of future absences, stating that repeated failures could lead to disciplinary action.
If you're sceptical about their explanation you can dig into this further, but without clear details it is difficult to pursue these concerns, However, if a clear pattern of unauthorised absences is emerging, it's essential to address this during the investigation before escalating to disciplinary action.
When an employee goes AWOL, having a well-articulated and thoughtful absence management process can mitigate confusion and stress, assisting employers in effectively managing their employees' absences.
