How to deal with employee absconding?

“If you risk nothing, you risk everything” – Geena Davis. Everyone might come across this proverb. When you don’t take risks, then everything becomes a risk for you. It is more applicable for everyone’s personal and professional life. As an employer, handling and managing employee absconding is one of the crucial tasks in every firm.

Every employer would face these challenges like Why employees abscond from their workplaces? What is the reason behind this? How to overcome employee absconding from the workplace? These might even confuse employers’ mindset. If you have the above questions in your mind, then this article will help you find solutions. Let us discuss in detail.

What is Employee absconding?

Employee abscond is a threat that affects not just productivity but also sets a negative example for others. Employees may disregard the organization’s absconding policy if a situation involving an absconding employee is not handled professionally and strictly. 

Employee absconding, put, is the act of an employee leaving or not showing up for work without permission. When one employee is absent for an extended time or permanently, it can interrupt workflow, reduce productivity, and present issues for other employees who must fill in. 

“3.2% of full-time wage and salary workers report missing work, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics”.

Although there are a variety of approaches you can take in response to employees who resign from their jobs, you must first identify the causes. Employees leaving unexpectedly without warning should be addressed immediately if there is a problem at work. 

Let’s examine some strategies for handling employee absconding cases.

How should absconders be handled? 

When dealing with employee absconding, you need to be cautious and strategic. Employers are required to follow labor rules and treat workers who flee from their jobs fairly. 

It’s critical to ascertain the status of the employee who is missing and confirm that they are truly missing before taking any action. Employers can track workers using software like Lystloc, which has GPS geofencing capabilities.

This feature allows for precise tracking of time and attendance, but it also gives a clear record of absences and attendance for staff members. 

Thus, implementing an employee management system with Lystloc can assist you in recognizing and making sure that you handle incidents of actual employee absconding. You can take the following actions after you are certain.

Get in touch with the absconder 

Communicating with the employee who has escaped from work is the first step toward finding a solution. To find out why the employee vanished from work, you must speak with them. If they truly have an excuse for missing work, you should encourage them to go back to their job. 

Attempt to get in touch with the employee via phone to find out why they vanished. After considering their worries, let them know what is expected of them by the workplace.

“Covering staff absences requires over half of overtime”. 

Express empathy and compassion for the employee’s predicament while conveying that employee disappearance is unacceptable. Solutions to rectify the situation can be offered if the employee cooperates and reacts well. Businesses should always be prepared to assist employees in resolving conflicts while still carrying out their duties. 

It’s also necessary to record every communication with absconders. All correspondence records will be needed if things don’t work out and you have to go to court.

 Pay all required statutory payments

Employer obligations require you to discharge all statutory payments owed to the employee, even in cases when the employee flees and refuses to return to work. Payments cannot be withheld, and it is your moral duty to disburse benefits and entitlements.

The legally required salary, overtime, unpaid wages, accrued leave, and any bonuses or commissions that an employee is entitled to are known as “statutory payments.” To find any unpaid invoices, HR ought to examine the employee’s work-hour records before they vanish. 

Compute any required withholdings or deductions, such as taxes or unpaid obligations that the employee owes, when determining the statutory payments. Make sure all deductions are made by applicable laws and rules. Compile the final settlement, outlining all payments and deductions, and give it to the worker in person.

What steps can we take to reduce cases of workplace absconding?

By taking a planned and proactive approach, the organization can reduce the number of instances of employee absconding. Some actions to take to stop or lessen the chance of an employee stealing are as follows: 

Developing HR policies 

Employee absconding is a policy that your company must communicate to all prospective and present team members. Developing a thorough HR policy that addresses both absenteeism and running away is a good idea. Clearly state the rules about acceptable attendance, how to request leaves of absence, and what happens if someone leaves without permission.

An onboarding probationary term needs to be part of your employee absconding policy. This phase, which usually spans the first several months of their job, allows both parties to evaluate how well-suited they are. The probationary period and the absence policies must also be explained to all new hires throughout the onboarding process. 

Hiring and training

By thoroughly screening candidates to evaluate their reliability and work history, companies can prevent situations where employees abscond. To find any trends of absence in their prior positions, do thorough reference and background checks. 

“Unplanned absences are projected to cause a 40% reduction in production”.

Make sure to highlight the company’s expectations for new hires during the onboarding process. Make certain that new hires are completely aware of the attendance requirements set forth by the business and the repercussions of unapproved absences.

Fulfill HR requirements

Be mindful of your HR obligations. Communicate openly and proactively to show your support for your staff. Address any issues or problems that could lead to absence as soon as possible. Putting in place efficient attendance tracking is one of HR’s other duties.

A trustworthy cloud-based software program such as Lystloc for tracking employee attendance and spotting possible problems before they become serious is much needed. Managers can identify trends or patterns that need attention by using the attendance reports that are generated by them.

“90% of Employers Face Challenges with New Hires, Resignations, or Both”. 

To prevent problems from getting worse and leading to people running away from their jobs, HR teams should be trained in conflict resolution strategies. 

To help employees who are experiencing emotional or personal difficulties, organizations might set up support systems like Employee Assistance Programs.

Develop tactics for maintenance

Maintaining a motivated and engaged workforce is one strategy to increase employee retention. Establish recognition initiatives, cultivate a pleasant work atmosphere, and provide chances for professional and skill advancement. Employers with wellness initiatives that promote the mental and physical well-being of their staff members enjoy excellent retention rates.

Examine opportunities for remote work and other flexible work schedules to assist staff in striking a better work-life balance. Even more flexible working hours are something you may offer them. Divide the work schedule into shifts if necessary.

“The U.S. has the highest absentee rate (4.7%) among healthcare support occupations”.

The probability of absences can be greatly decreased by it. Having a consistent feedback system in place to honor staff members’ accomplishments would be beneficial. It might increase job satisfaction and retention to give them credit for their efforts. 

HR can act to lessen the problems by establishing efficient communication and making sure that legal requirements are followed by recognizing the causes of absconding. Employers can prevent employee absconding by using the advice provided here to minimize interruptions and promote a pleasant working culture.

Revolutionize your field force management system with Lystloc

Any firm may find it difficult to handle situations involving employee absconding. Nonetheless, strategic planning is necessary for this crucial component of workforce management. For such a case Lystloc stands up right for your firm.

Lystloc facilitates clear strategy and reports on employees’ work modules. Lystloc offers thorough reports on hours worked, overtime, leaves taken, accumulated vacation time, and other factors. Lystloc attendance tracking software automates computations, simplifying the payroll process, preventing legal issues and more.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. So never fail to prepare. Get into Lystloc website to know more about field employee monitoring systems. We also avail free product demo and 7 days free trial to gain more knowledge on the Lystloc software.