While it is uncommon, employees may opt to quit their jobs or fail to show up for work without informing their boss. A carefully written job abandonment policy can provide managers with guidelines on how to handle job abandonment while also limiting the employer’s liability if the employee challenges the decision.
In this post, we will define job abandonment, explain why it occurs, and provide five ideas for developing an abandonment policy for your firm.
What is Job Abandonment?
When an employee leaves their job without warning and with no intention of returning, this is referred to as job abandonment. Employees may fail to show up for work or call in unusual circumstances, such as a medical emergency. Job abandonment is not the same as this. Job abandonment occurs when an employee is absent for an extended period of time and fails to alert the human resources department or their management.
Three Signs of Job Abandonment
Even for employers, job abandonment may be a perplexing and unpleasant scenario because it often occurs unexpectedly and disrupts the workplace’s day-to-day routine. Certain tell-tale indicators, however, can suggest that a person has left their job. Here are the three red flags:
#1. Absence
Assume the employee abruptly quits coming to work for an extended period of time or at regular intervals without prior notice or explanation. In that instance, it could be an omen that they will never be seen again.
#2. Personal effects removal
When an employee takes their belongings from the workplace, it shows that the employee has decided or is planning to leave their job.
#3. Lack of contact
If an employee is unresponsive to calls, emails, or texts from their boss or coworkers, it could indicate that they have quit their job. This lack of communication is a masquerade to avoid past employers and coworkers, which should finally be interpreted as job abandonment after a certain period of time.
The employee could be ill, or there could be a family issue. However, these are common markers that employers should be aware of and actively monitor in order to assess employee status.
What Causes Job Abandonment?
Employees leave their occupations for a variety of reasons, including:
- Desiring to depart but too humiliated or afraid to do so in person
- Getting extra hours at a second job
- The employee is given a new or better opportunity.
Is Job Abandonment Illegal?
It is up to the individual to fulfill their legal obligations. For example, if a daycare provider is legally required to supervise the children in their care but decides to abandon them without monitoring, this behavior may be considered illegal. In most circumstances, however, it is termed voluntary termination.
Consequences of Job Abandonment
When someone quits their job, it produces a cascade of effects that the organization must pay for. Until a replacement is found, the organization suffers in more ways than one. Depending on the individual’s position, it may impede the company’s progress toward its objectives, hurting profitability and its capacity to prosper. As a result, major consequences such as being unable to make payroll, pay debts, or move forward on initiatives requiring a specific skill set can occur.
As these issues worsen, tension, stress, conflict, and work fatigue rise, creating a toxic work environment. Consequently, even more, staff leave, putting the business in an even worse position. As a result, address someone quitting their job as soon as it occurs.
How To Handle Job Abandonment
Employers must have a job abandonment policy in place to mitigate the negative effects of job abandonment on their firm. They should foresee potential obstacles, such as schedule conflicts, and take steps to lessen the effects of job abandonment both before and after it occurs. Here’s how to deal with abandonment:
#1. Define job abandonment policy.
Create and communicate a company policy stating how many days of no-call, or no-show constitute job abandonment. Because there is no federal statute that precisely defines job abandonment, it is your responsibility to inform your employees about what constitutes job abandonment. Remind employees of the implications of job abandonment and inform them that job abandonment disqualifies them from receiving unemployment benefits because it is considered a voluntary departure.
#2. Conduct an extensive inquiry and termination procedure.
Every job abandonment should be investigated, as employers are accountable for assuring the employee had no intention of returning. Employers should follow a rigorous termination process after properly examining and recording in order to limit responsibility as much as feasible. Some measures you can take to accomplish this include:
- Make contact with the employee by phone and email to find out why they missed their shift. Communicate with them to find out if they intend to return to work.
- If the initial attempt fails, make a second and third attempt after waiting 24 hours, or contact the employee’s emergency contact. Following that, make as many attempts as necessary to contact the employee until they have been absent for the minimum number of days required for job abandonment as determined by your company policy.
- Ensure that every effort at communication with the absent employee is correctly recorded. In the event of legal action, you may require a dependable paper trail.
- If all communication attempts fail, send a letter to your employee’s address outlining your attempts to contact them, as well as the employee’s missing work dates. Include a statement that if the employee does not answer the letter within a week, their absence would be treated as job abandonment.
Read Also: HOW TO FIRE AN EMPLOYEE IN THE RIGHT WAY: Detailed Guide
- If the employee still does not answer, terminate the employment with a job abandonment letter that includes the cause for the termination, their date and times of absence, corporate property to be returned, and a contact in case the employee has any concerns about their termination.
- When alerting an employee of their termination for job abandonment, double-check payroll to verify the terminated employee receives what they are owed on their final paycheck.
Use your scheduling software to guarantee that any missed shifts are covered. Allow employees to easily contact scheduling supervisors in order to pick up abandoned shifts. Allow shift shifting and cross-training so that employees can fill in for staff members who have left their positions.
It would be prudent to learn from previous abandonment experiences and set schedules as far in advance as feasible. Maintain a network of “on-call” personnel to rely on in the event of job abandonment, so you never face a staffing crisis.
#3. Maintain compliance with labor laws.
To avoid any legal action, you must always take steps to ensure that the job abandonment was actually a voluntary resignation. Dismissing an employee for medical reasons can be difficult and may be investigated. As a result, the job abandonment policy should include provisions for short-term incapacity and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Explain that if a staff member does not come to work for three days in a row and does not file their short-term disability paperwork or request a leave of absence due to a family emergency, they will be considered to have abandoned their job.
In the Bareno Case, a recent California appellate court judgment underlines the sensitivity of dismissals where medical concerns are involved. In this situation, an employee informed her employers that she would be unable to attend work owing to medical concerns. The employer claimed that they did not get a single email and fired the employee for “unexplained absence.”
The employee filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, claiming that her employers fired her for simply taking medical leave. The court ruled that the employer should have questioned the employee for more information regarding her leave rather than simply waiting a few days and terminating the employee. Employers are instructed that if they believe an employee is absent from work for medical reasons, they should assume the employee has not resigned.
Employers should also be aware that email and spam filters may result in unopened or skipped messages from employees. To avoid a scenario like the one described above, when a message goes missing, companies may consider employing a single channel of communication without spam filters to make communication with their staff easy and simple.
#4. Maintain a consistent job abandonment policy.
It is critical that you have a written job abandonment policy. Keep careful records of all unexplained absences and attempts to reach the employee. Include a copy of your job abandonment policy in your employee handbook and human resource portal to avoid employee confusion. When employees are let go, there should be no shocks.
How to Avoid Job Abandonment Proactively
Job abandonment is difficult to deal with, and one approach to mitigate its negative implications is to avoid it altogether. Fair rules focusing on inclusiveness that keep employees engaged, as well as a healthy business culture that pushes people to do their best work, can assist engage employees and keep them from quitting their positions.
#1. Make your job abandonment policy visible.
The inclusion of your job abandonment policy in your employee handbook or a detailed explanation of it when employees are onboarded is a wonderful method to make employees aware of your leave rules and the penalties of abandonment. The more informed your staff is, the more likely they are to follow your policies.
#2. Maintain a flexible leave and absence policy.
People frequently quit their employment because they are overworked, dissatisfied with their jobs, or simply do not have enough time off. A flexible leave policy, in addition to a clear job abandonment policy, allows employees to rest.
“It is tough if you have a family crisis and you need to deal with that and you have an employer that says, ‘If you leave to deal with that, you are fired,” Raygun owner Mike Draper said in an interview with The Washington Post. His firm is forgiving when it comes to things like absenteeism and paid time off. “We provide an environment where people do not find themselves in that situation,” he stated. Work does not have to be difficult.”
#3. Make use of flexible scheduling.
Allow employees to pick up open shifts or swap shifts with managerial consent in order to meet personal, financial, and professional obligations. Allow employees to perform these things by providing them with the appropriate mobile scheduling and communication tools, and use flexible scheduling practices to honor them as much as possible.
#4. Communicate on a regular basis
Handling job abandonment and preventing it necessitates open and honest communication with employees. Consider communication to be a two-way street. On the one hand, provide feedback to employees in order to keep them engaged; on the other hand, allow employees to express their concerns. This is a two-pronged approach that will keep your staff engaged while also alerting you to any major difficulties, allowing you to take proactive measures to reduce job abandonment.
#5. Address immediate well-being requirements
A pleasant working environment is critical for employee retention since it has a direct impact on employee productivity, engagement, and overall job satisfaction. Employees who feel at ease and supported in their workplace are more likely to stick with their job and the firm. Standing desks, for example, are a trendy fad that has evolved in recent years. Employees can work in a more ergonomic position with these desks, lowering the risk of health problems connected with extended sitting. Offering such options demonstrates that the firm cares about the health and well-being of its employees, which can lead to higher levels of employee satisfaction and retention.
How Long Does It Take for a Job to Be Considered Abandoned?
Company policies typically state that a job has been abandoned after three consecutive days. This, however, is subject to change.
Does a Background Check Reveal a History of Job Abandonment?
No. While it may vary depending on the sort of background check performed, most do not divulge this information.
Is Leaving a Job Considered Job Abandonment?
Job abandonment occurs when an employee fails to show up for work three days in a row for no apparent reason. However, it may be dependent on the company’s job abandonment policy.
Is Job Abandonment Treated as a Resignation?
Yes, job abandonment is a type of voluntary resignation.
Is There Legislation That Governs Job Abandonment?
Federal legislation, such as the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), does not define job abandonment. Case law in several states provides general rules. For the most part, businesses must design their own abandonment policy in order to ensure that it is enforced lawfully and fairly.
Can an At-Will Employee Resign Without Cause?
Unless they are bound by an employment contract that stipulates otherwise, at-will employees are free to leave at any time, for any reason, with or without warning. For example, if a contract requires the employee to give two weeks’ notice, the employee is required to do so.
Can an Employee Who Quits Claim Unemployment Benefits?
If an employee leaves a job and you consider it a voluntary termination or voluntary quit, the employee cannot usually claim unemployment.
Conclusion
Finally, job abandonment can be a stressful circumstance for both employers and employees. Employers must have a clear plan of action in place and take action as soon as feasible to remedy the situation. Employees must be aware of their rights and know where to go for additional assistance or support if necessary. Employers and employees might both benefit from taking proactive actions to reduce employee abandonment.
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