What is Absconding in HR? Meaning, Process and Example

How HR should handle absconding

Do not treat a missing employee as having resigned on day two. First find out whether something has happened: an accident, a hospital admission or a family emergency. Call the employee and the emergency contact, and check with colleagues. If there is no response, send a letter to the last known address and email asking the employee to report or explain by a date. If they still do not respond, send a second notice stating what will happen under the policy if they do not report.

• Days 1 to 3: calls to the employee and emergency contact, with notes of each attempt
• Days 3 to 5: first letter by post and email asking the employee to report
• After the reply deadline: a second notice or show cause notice
• Final step: a decision letter under the standing orders or policy

Standing orders, policy and records

Standing orders and service rules usually describe how long unauthorized absence can continue before the employee is treated as having left, and what notice must be given first. Follow them exactly, because a separation for absconding that skipped steps can be challenged later. Keep copies of every call log, letter and courier receipt. Mark attendance as absent, not as leave, until the matter is closed. The attendance record and the letters together show that the company acted fairly. See standing orders.

Settling dues and closing the record

An absconding employee is still owed wages for the days actually worked. Once the separation is recorded, pay the wages due within the payment timelines, and hold the amount for collection if bank details have changed. Recover company property through formal letters. Some companies mark absconding employees as not eligible for rehire. In ZeniaHR, when attendance rules are on, an absent alert goes out at night to the employee and their manager, which helps HR notice unexplained absence in the first days instead of at month end.

Frequently asked questions