Employee Suddenly Disappears: How Should Recruiters Handle This Challenge?

Hello Everybody,

I would like to request your views on a scenario where an employee has been working in an organization and then goes absconding. This situation creates a very difficult task for the recruiter to go through the same process :(

Regards,
Rajashri

Hi,

You can withhold the salary of an employee if you believe they will not continue with the company.

All new employees should receive proper training, an updated salary, and a healthy work environment. This will help the new employee feel valued, engaged, and appreciated.

Another policy to consider is requesting the original academic certificates to be deposited with the company upon joining. This measure can ensure that the employee fulfills their notice period and properly resigns.

You may also explore the option of holding the Provident Fund (PF).

I hope the information provided above is helpful to you.

Thanks and Regards,
Preethi Aruja
Email: pritiaruja@gmail.com

Rajashri,

Of course, it is a very difficult task for the recruiter to provide the replacement for the absconding employees. They have little option, as it is everywhere in every industry and it cannot be stopped. The only reason is that the employee got an offer from another organization, and that organization doesn't give any time for the candidate to join. They simply put pressure on the candidate to join within a week or ten days, and they are even ready to compensate for the loss to the candidate from the previous organization.

So, who is at fault in this scenario?

It can't be stopped, but definitely, it can be reduced by providing a better working atmosphere.

I have some different views compared to Preethi because you have to build faith in the employee towards the organization. By doing that, you will be losing the faith of the employee at the very initial stage. Also, such practices only work for the short term, not for the long term. For the growth of the company, these kinds of practices should be avoided.

(Vaise, how are you?)

Hello Everybody,

I would like to request your views on a situation where an employee has been working in an organization and then goes absconding. Kindly share your thoughts on the same.

This creates a very difficult task for the recruiter to go through the same process :(

Regards, Rajashri

Hi Rajashri,

When an employee absconds, we need to understand the reason for it. If it is because of company-related issues such as lack of proper orientation, uninformed shift plans/extended shifts, or lack of guidance from the manager, the reason must be analyzed and addressed immediately with the concerned managers to prevent the issue from arising again.

If the fault lies with the employee, you can withhold their salary or certificates, which should be a part of your policy.

I have experience as a recruiter in the early stages of my career, and I understand the frustration of having to rework on the same positions. It's important to take it positively as part of our job, as in most cases, we end up replacing employees. Only in a few instances, we may offer candidates a newly designed role or position.

Regards,
GVS

Hi all,

Great comments. A simple question: mostly you will find employees abscond on the first or 2nd of every month. How can you hold salaries for those employees? First, analyze the reason why the employee is absconding. Try to get in touch with them and after you analyze the reason, try to solve the problem. It is not only recruiters but the entire organization that suffers. I understand that recruits suffer the most, but even the cost of replacement for the organization is very high in such cases.

The day an employee joins the organization is very important because the initial process starts from day one, so the impact of day one is very high on the employees. Make employee-centric policies; employee engagement should be on a higher scale. If employee engagement is high and the employee is engaged in their work, the chances of them absconding from their duties become very low.

When a person is recruited in an organization, why is it the responsibility of the recruiter? A good employee, if does not like the atmosphere of the organization, it is the responsibility of the company to the employee. Every employee has the right to get a good salary, good atmosphere, and respect. The organization has to make a rule that an employee, for any reason, absconding from duty, may advise his/her boss within 2 days about his/her whereabouts.

Raji,

Jaise is duniya mein aaye hue har insan ko ek din jana hota hai, thik wese hi har organization mein aaye hue har employee ko ek din jana hi hota hai. If you are a recruiter, then you will have to do your karma and should not be bothered about the result, as said by Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita.

Send a written warning to the absconded employee and start looking for a new one. Rest, you cannot do anything as policies need to be changed at the discretion of the management and cannot be changed by the recruiters.

Enjoy!

We forget that change is something inevitable. I was a faithful employee of an Insurance Company for 19 years. However, instead of promoting me, they transferred me to a lower position. I approached the High Court and obtained a stay. Consequently, they have initiated "disciplinary proceedings" and have suspended me because of the so-called "grave" charges of leaving headquarters, etc.

Sahi kaha, Bhakt... Parivartan sansar ka niyam hai. Ise bhul kar tumne jo paap kiya, uski saza tumhe mil gayi. Be careful from next time.

Do you all agree that a verification check from the organization that the employee who absconded must have joined should be given a proper picture of his exit? Please give me your views on the same.

Hi,

We are following the process of holding original documents for at least a year, which helps us concentrate on the absconding part.

Thanks and regards,
Sushil

During the joining process, we typically take photocopies of documents, verify the originals, and then return them. Do employees generally agree with submitting the same?

I completely agree with you, Soumya. What do you suggest then? I know it's a terrible thing, but it is, again, the recruiter who has to work on it, and the whole process is very tiring.

Hi all,

I have just joined a Recruitment Firm as a sourcing associate. In my opinion, as a recruiter, the primary focus should be on checking the stability of the employee through their past employment history. During interviews, it is crucial to ask the question, "Why are you looking for a change?"

Thank you.

Hello, dear,

I do believe that employees are the strength of an organization. Nowadays, most employees need not only money but also challenging jobs that will help them to explore their knowledge. The most important thing is to make each employee feel that our organization is emotionally connected to them. Try to keep them loyal towards the organization by maintaining good interactions with them.

To solve this problem, you have to address the root cause of employee dissatisfaction. It is crucial to conduct "stay interviews" to study the psychology of employees' minds. Through this, you can understand their likes, dislikes, and what motivates them to stay in the organization.

Jaya
MBA student

Dear All,

I suggest always having the candidates' inventory ready. Choose 2-3 candidates for one position, let one join, and keep the others on hold. In case the candidate leaves, you will have the next in line ready. Practices like keeping original documents or holding PF should be avoided as they may result in suspicion, reluctance, or loss of trust from the employees' end.

As an employer, you should send a mail or warning letter to the absconding member before taking any action against him or her.

Regards,
Parul

I have experienced that, no matter how much orientation, training, motivation, etc., you provide to your employees, most of them are not loyal, ready to change jobs for a few additional bucks!!

I feel instead of pampering, we should have strict measures to hold the employees. One of them is taking academic certificates. I know it is not the right practice, but we don't have many options. Or else, you have to keep chasing...

I differ here. I strongly believe that it is better to have a vacant position in the organization rather than having an employee who is not engaged, aligned, and motivated. The same will spread across the organization resulting in a non-engaged workforce waiting for the clock to strike 5.30. We would not have been arguing on this point had we thought from the organization's perspective and not as a recruiter.

Many times, I have seen that employees want to change jobs because the honeymoon period, i.e., the 6 months probation period, is over. Once the training concludes and they are expected to perform, they consider leaving. Do you think the pressure should be reduced during the training period?

Hi,

Please draft a strong letter stating the date when the employee began absconding. Clearly mention that the employee must report immediately; otherwise, the company will withhold his salary. Additionally, if the employee possesses any of the company's items, articles, or information, legal action will be taken against them. Kindly send this communication via registered post.

Thanks,
Srinidhi Prasad

Srinidhi, trust me. I have an employee who has gone absconding even though he signed the bond and sent the resignation letter by post the next day. Although I refused to accept it, would sending him a notice work?

Hi Raja,

It's very simple. There are certain steps to follow if an employee absconds. Here we go:

1. First, try to call him/her at the available contact number.
2. Then send a recall letter to his/her contact address.
3. If there is no reply from the concerned person, send the second recall letter.
4. The second recall letter should be drafted at least a week apart from the first one.
5. If there is still no reply from the concerned person, the final step is to issue a termination letter, informing them of their termination from the job.

I don't have a solution that can stop employees from absconding. Having said that, I would like to emphasize the need for unity to address HR issues. Unity and cooperation among HR teams across companies in various countries.

It is interesting to note that whenever there is a lengthy discussion about HR issues on sites like CiteHR, you will observe that members have expressed the need for unity to come together to address common issues. However, since we have multiple choices, the HR community gets split in favoring different systems rather than uniting. Multiple choice is good, but not in every situation.

In fact, one of the reasons why I filed a patent application for my system that provides solutions to many HR issues, including employee absconding, fake resumes, fake certificates, NO SHOW, attrition, etc., was to bring in a common code or standard for all. God willing, we will get the opportunity to join hands to address our common problems.

The system may not be able to stop employee absconding, but it will definitely reduce the number of such absconding cases or trace such employees to a future company they join.

The beta version of the system is hosted on [link outdated-removed].

Ken Mathew