How Should We Handle an Employee Secretly Job Hunting and Absent Without Notice?

Hello All,

I have come across a serious issue with one of my employees. She is a developer working on a very prestigious project. For the past few days, she has been behaving in a different way, and we have learned from somebody that she is looking for a new job and attending interviews.

Today, she is absent without any information. Now, what should be our step in this regard?

1. Should we ask her straight away and tell her to resign?
2. Or should we wait for her next step?
3. In case these rumors turn out to be true, is it possible to withhold her experience letter as she has only been working for the past 2.5 months?
4. Is it necessary for her to serve a notice period?

I am waiting for a reply.

Regards,
Akshu

Well, well, well, big time. You are talking as if you are going to remain in this organization till the end of your life. :-x:-x

First, let her submit her resignation and then complete her formalities. Wish her good luck with a smile, do not change your attitude. :-D:):icon7::-P

It is not like that, but when a person is on a prestigious project, he/she needs to understand this. I am not against searching for a job; I am against the behavior she is showing - her laid-back attitude and lack of respect for her colleagues and seniors. If she gives a proper resignation and serves a notice period, we won't have any problems. However, if she chooses to leave the job without informing us, what should be our next step?

It is a common human tendency to lose interest once they have considered a change, which may lead to the downfall of your project. It may be beneficial to assign other team members to take charge of the project, but it is essential to do so without making the original person in charge feel undervalued or upset.

Dear Akshu....

Don't ask the person directly, "Are you leaving?" Instead, try to indirectly find out if she is irritated with the work because you may have the solution to remove things that distract her and make the project a successful one. If you ask her if she is leaving, then she would fix her mind to leave. So, don't do that; you can always change their decision if things can be corrected. But if she is looking for better responsibility or just a change in career, then you should just leave it. Ask her if there is something the company can do about it.

Next:

If she has planned to leave, don't be rude by not giving an experience letter. She deserves it. Just do the usual formalities and keep your company's name in the good books of outside and inside people. Because if you are not good to her, she can tell 10 potential employees outside not to apply here. She can ruin the whole peaceful atmosphere at work by telling everyone just how rude the company is.

And don't forget - you can try your best to retain her, but only up to a level. If she leaves, no problem. Let her serve the notice period and try to find a better candidate.

Take care

I think it's best to make the first move and ask her upfront about it. You may do it diplomatically rather than being more direct. You can ask her about her career plans, whether she is enjoying her work with the organization, any problems she is facing, etc. During this discussion, also tell her that the project she is working on is important for the company. Obviously, the organization would want someone who is willing to stay committed to the company for a decent period of time and be regular at work. Depending on her response, you may take it from there.

You may observe her behavior and performance for the next few days. But irrespective of the result of this exercise, it's best to have a backup resource for her. Her superior may take a daily update of her work from her. Also, regular backup of her work is necessary. This is to safeguard your organization from the possibility of losing a key resource deployed on a key project.

As far as her notice period is concerned, she should follow whatever notice she is required to serve as per her appointment letter. In case she does not serve sufficient notice, you can follow whatever practice is prevalent currently.

Hi,

Can you guide me on an issue? I was working in a small company a few months back. Then I resigned due to certain clashes in the company. Now I want the Form No. 16 from the employer, and accordingly, I wrote an email to the account head, but she's not bothering even to acknowledge the mail. With this attitude of hers, I find rare chances of getting it.

How can I demand the Form No. 16 as it is my right to get for filing the returns? Mail me a solution at mhetar.namita@gmail.com.

Waiting for your reply.

Hi,

Can you guide me on an issue? I was working in a small company a few months back. Then I resigned due to certain clashes in the company. Now I want the Form No. 16 from the employer, and accordingly, I wrote an email to the accounting head, but she's not bothering even to acknowledge the mail. With this attitude of hers, I find rare chances of getting it. How can I demand the Form No. 16 as it is my right to get it for filing the returns? We were also not given salary slips. So what is to be done now?

Please email me the solution at atmhetar.namita@gmail.com.

Hi Namitha,

You can't expect the employee to remain the same all the time; it's a human tendency to change. You can't avoid that. Don't take things so seriously. It's well known that if an individual suddenly changes their way of doing things, it will affect other things and become complicated. But you have to analyze the factors that are compelling her to do so.

It would be better if you could make arrangements for counseling her so that she can air out her problems in case she is facing any. Ask any of her reporting managers to conduct the session. This would be better since she is in the team, and her reporting manager can analyze her better.

Regards,
Valli

Hi,

First, let her inform you that she is going to resign, then you can take appropriate steps. We shouldn't make any decisions without her relieving letter. However, you can try to interview other candidates. Nowadays, people are looking for better salary and opportunities to enhance their knowledge. If she decides to leave, that's her choice, and we shouldn't force her. In any case, try to retain her, and if it doesn't work out, then start searching for a replacement. That's the best solution.

Also, remember not to discuss her departure with her. If she is absent, call her and inquire about the reason. If she doesn't respond, then issue her a termination letter with the required notice period.

Thanks,
Riya

Hi Namita,

Instead of writing an email to her and her not acknowledging it, it's better to talk to her over the phone or go to the office to speak with her directly. She can't refuse your request to issue you the Form 16.

One more thing I would like to tell you is if you send an email to an employee of the organization, always cc their superior for their information.

If your issue is not resolved, talk to her senior regarding your problems in a very polite manner.

Hope your problem will be sorted out soon. 🙂
Bye & Take care,
Shikha

Dear Akshu,

So many times it has happened in our organization. But at the last minute, the employee changed their decision to continue in our organization.
Don't depend on rumors. Employees (not all employees, but some) tend to spread rumors. If that is the case, that employee has to make a decision, and they will definitely submit their resignation. After submitting the resignation letter, you are not supposed to withhold all the related relieving documents if the employee serves the notice period. However, that doesn't mean you should let the employee go on leave without prior intimation. You or the concerned head should ensure that she only goes on leave with proper intimation.

Also, try to indirectly find out whether the employee has any other personal problems that may be causing her to take leave.

Chitra Signal-Networks

Thank you all for your precious advice. However, yesterday when we tried to talk to her, she behaved in a very abnormal or childish way. We tried to calm her down, but she shouted at her senior intensely and then she said she can't work and she is leaving. She left the premises right then and there, and today as well, she didn't show up.

Hi Akshu,

I have faced this before. If you hold a handful of mud so tightly in your hand, there would be very little mud in your hand. If you loosely hold it, it will remain there. In the same way, just leave it for a while. See if she responds and then take it from there. She has to get back. Again, switch to mode one and ask her the real issue. If she does not turn up, just make sure this behavior has not spread among others. Continuously interact with your employees and let them know how their presence is very important at work. It's not just work pressure; even pressure in personal life can make a person act weird.

Hi Asha,

I can try, and yes, it's true that sometimes personal pressures can make people weird. Anyhow, I will try to talk to her again.

Gone are the days when the relationship between employers and employees was one-sided and the employers called the shots. These days, the scale of negotiating power has tilted in favor of the employees as demand is chasing supply, especially in the case of specially trained or skilled employees. You need to analyze the circumstances and factors that have made her become recalcitrant so that in the future, you can prevent many similar cases.