Handling No-Show Employees: Should We Retrieve the Appointment Letter?

A lady was offered an appointment in my company as a marketing/sales executive. She signed the letter of acceptance but eventually didn't show up for duties on the day she was to assume them. A phone call to her revealed that she believed the compensation package was on the low side, and thus she rejected the appointment.

Now, my question is, should we leave the appointment letter in her custody or retrieve it from her? If we should retrieve it, how can I go about doing so?

Thank you.

As per my knowledge, you have to retrieve it for her. You can write a letter to her regarding the same.

Thank you.

If you have mentioned a date of joining on the appointment letter and she has not joined, you need to go through the process of retrieving the letter. However, if it is an open-ended offer letter that does not mention any date for joining, then you should prioritize doing it.

Regards,
Manoj

It is quite a common practice now.

Yes, call her and ask her to drop the appointment letter back to the office or courier it. Give her a deadline that the letter should reach the company in, say, 4 days' time, which is sufficient for a local courier delivery as well. Also, send an email to her asking her to send the appointment letter within 4 days and mention your complete postal address. This is to ensure that you have a point of communication and proof for the same.

The Reason is as Follows:

1. Prospects get the offer letter.
2. Appointment letters are meant only for employees working in the firm.
3. She may or may not use it to negotiate offers and show experience on her CV.

Having known all the ways that people misuse appointment letters, it is always a good practice to ask for it back.

Also, note that the appointment letters should be "cancelled without prejudice," and her signature should be taken on it. Ask her to provide a written statement that she is rejecting the offer due to the package.

Pin this with the appointment letters (both the acceptance and the letter) and file it for future reference.

If you maintain a database of prospects or interviewees at your place, mark her with some color and add remarks. This would help in further inquiry if she plans to join the firm in the future and if you're not handling the recruitment.

Hope it helped 

In most cases, the candidate will not respond when you ask them to return the letter. If they do, they will say they have destroyed it. All good companies conduct antecedent verification of the candidate before hiring them. Simply possessing an appointment letter does not validate work experience in the company. Don't waste your time chasing the candidate for the letter to be returned.

Sure, merely showing an appointment letter cannot serve as proof of employment. However, there are many small and medium-scale firms that do not have proper background verification policies, mainly due to time and budget constraints.

Furthermore, while a candidate can claim that they will join, including a clause in the appointment letter or its acknowledgment/acceptance letter stating that in case they are unable to join by the specified date, they must return the appointment letter within 4 working days would emphasize the seriousness of the commitment since it is documented and requires their signature.

It is not uncommon for individuals to attend interviews with various organizations, receive detailed appointment letters outlining compensation and benefits, and then leverage this information to negotiate counter offers or better terms at their current workplace. Unfortunately, some individuals even boast about this practice among their peers, highlighting the need to address such behavior.

Efforts to prevent such actions are essential, especially when it comes to retaining experienced employees who have made significant contributions to an organization. Often, employers trust the content of the appointment letter without verifying its authenticity with the new company, which can lead to misunderstandings and talent loss.

For instance, a contact of mine based in Pune sought a transfer to Mumbai but was unable to secure one within her current organization. Subsequently, she received an attractive offer from a Mumbai-based company with a higher salary. By resigning and presenting the offer letter (even without the appointment letter), she managed to secure a pay raise surpassing that of the new company and successfully transferred to the Mumbai branch. Despite having no intention of joining the Mumbai-based firm, she utilized the offer to her advantage.

The inclusion of such a clause in the appointment letter aims to address these scenarios and promote transparency and commitment.

Hope this explanation clarifies the rationale behind incorporating such a provision in appointment letters. Hope it helps :-)

As other members have advised, the mere possession of your company's appointment does not certify that the candidate has worked for your company in any way. However, I believe the appointment letter you sent to the candidate was addressed to her and should be rightfully hers. Your request to her should be that she acknowledges receipt of your letter and rejects the offer. That should suffice to complete the recruitment process documentation. If she refuses to do the foregoing, you should do a memo and attach it to the copy of the original letter you sent to her. An offer is only completed when the terms of the offer are complied with, such as acknowledgment of receipt of offer, resumption on the agreed date, etc.

Provide us with further feedback and best wishes. @Smeprofessor

Handling Declined Appointment Offers

Why do you need the appointment letter back? She has declined the appointment. Send a letter stating that as she has declined the appointment, the company is withdrawing the offer, and the matter is now closed. Why create extra unnecessary work and complicate a simple process? All you need is a record on file that the offer was declined. Close the matter and proceed with hiring a replacement.