Dealing with unauthorised absenteeism
Should an employee fail to report for duty and there has been no communication from the employee as to the reason for his/her absence, the Reporting Manager should start taking the necessary action.
All attempts to contact the employee whether telephonic, by means of verbal enquiries from other employees or in writing, should be noted and/or copies retained for future reference. This will assist in indicating the extent to which the company or manager has gone to trace the whereabouts of the employee.
Written communication must be sent to the employee’s last known physical address. This should be done by means of a hand delivery to the DOOR of the employee’s residence. This can be done by a fellow employee of the Company or a registered letter sent by the HR Department.
Retain proof of despatch or delivery of ALL communication, as such proof will be vital in the event that an employee, who has been assumed to have absconded, later emerges to challenge his/her termination. If using a fellow employee to make the delivery, the Proof of Delivery document supplied with the letter/s must be kept as proof. If using the registered letter, HR will receive an automated delivery report, as proof.
Use only the contact information obtained from the personnel file, such as the application for employment form or last personal details change advice, etc. Alternatively, should no such document be available on file, the last captured details on the payroll system will suffice. The onus is on the employee to advise you of any changes in his residential address or contact details, so do not use hearsay information supplied by third parties or other non-official means.
If letters are undelivered, merely continue to send the remaining letter in sequence until the employee returns to work or until this process has run its course. Remember to keep the proof of unsuccessful delivery and/or the returned letter for future reference.
File a copy of each letter along with proof of delivery on the employee’s personnel file for future reference.
Always advise the Reporting Manager if the employee makes contact with you, regardless of when this takes place. The Reporting Manager will consult with the H.R. Department and decide whether any alternative action should be considered in view of the prevailing circumstances/reasons supplied by the employee in defence of his/her unauthorised absence.
Pro-Act HR and IR Consultants can assist Management with the AWOL process to ensure that the correct procedures are followed.