Employees Leaving Without Notice: How Can HR Address This Challenge?

I am Priti Madnawat, an HR professional in a trading company. I am facing an issue where many of our employees have left the company without informing us. What can I do in this case? Please suggest to me.

Thanks and regards,
Priti

You need to find out the reasons why employees are leaving. Establish an exit interview policy so that you can address and resolve issues in the future.

Thank you.

I second Sach_001 for bringing out a good point - kindly find out why employees are leaving your company. This way, in the future, you can avoid such situations.

Company Size and HR Policies

How big is your trading company, and what policies are you following (HR Policy)? If it's standard, then there is a notice period that employees need to adhere to. However, if you are following any other policy, such as decisions made by the manager or management, then it can be very challenging.

Thanks,

According to many surveys, the estimated rate of employee turnover is almost one-third of the total workforce. Have you ever attempted to understand the reasons why employees leave abruptly?

Some Reasons Why Employees Leave:

- Many employees quit their jobs due to a lack of advancement opportunities within the organization. Employers should promote internal employees to help them identify their skills and provide training to align their abilities with different projects or teams if necessary.

- Employees seek recognition for their performance and want to feel that they are part of the company's future.

- Sometimes, employees leave due to inadequate pay and benefits, opting for other companies that meet their salary expectations.

- Confusing directions from the Head of Department, Manager, or Boss with unrealistic expectations can quickly frustrate employees. HR should be aware of these issues and make improvements accordingly.

- Managers who micromanage their employees demonstrate a lack of confidence in their abilities and performance.

- Providing employees with new tasks or changing their work responsibilities throughout the day keeps them engaged. If they feel stagnant at work with no room for growth, they may seek other opportunities elsewhere.

- HR plays a crucial role in properly placing candidates according to their qualifications. However, human resources may fail to match employees with suitable positions, leading to underutilization of their talents and skills.

Therefore, I suggest conducting a survey with employees who have left the company to understand the reasons behind their departure. Many former employees may be willing to provide feedback, but it is up to HR to gather and present this information to management for further action.

Regards

You have to find out the reason why employees are leaving. Make the policy of exit interviews so that you can sort out the problems in the future.

Secondly, Sach_001 brings out a good point - kindly find out why employees are leaving your company so that you can avoid it in the future. How big is your trading company, and what policies are you following (HR Policy)? If it's standard, then there is a notice period that employees need to give. If you are following any other policy, such as as per the manager or management, then it's very difficult.

Thanks,
Regards

I am writing to address my concerns regarding the reasons why employees are leaving the organization:

1. Delay in salary payment
2. Low salaries even when paid on time
3. Excessive work pressure
4. Insufficient employee benefits, such as limited leaves, holiday schedules, ESIC, and PF.

Thank you for your attention to these important matters.

Regards

Evaluating Employee Retention Issues

Check the salaries with other companies and observe the management style of your managers. I think it's a significant issue for you to find the reason for the same because you have good HR policies, and I hope your employees have competent HR staff.

What I see is that you have followed everything that's in the book. But I would suggest you look beyond. Put yourself in their shoes. Find out a reason why you would prefer to leave this company if you are offered a better salary or the same salary. Look into the issue of employee growth—personal, social, emotional, and of course professional. A posh office atmosphere, good salary, yearly get-togethers in 5-star hotels, etc., do not quench the thirst for growth.

I totally agree with Sandeep. If you have every policy in place and intact, then why are employees leaving the company without information? It means employees are not engaged. If you are regularly conducting exit interviews, please share what you find. Based on the reports, you need to design a retention strategy.

Key Aspects to Consider:

- Employee relations
- Employee support strategy (e.g., from reporting head, subordinates)
- Growth and training

Regards.

[QUOTE=megha bhambra;2059120]Well said by Sandeep, I totally agree. If you have every policy in place and intact, then why are employees leaving the company without information? It means employees are not engaged employees. If you are regularly conducting exit interviews, then please share what you have found, and based on the reports, you need to design a retention strategy. Kindly look into the following aspects:

- Employee relations
- Employee support strategy, i.e., from reporting Head, subordinates
- Growth, training

Regards, Megha HR

The Issue of Leaving Without Information or Proper Resignation

Leaving a job without proper resignation or not serving the notice period can be a significant issue. Employees might consider leaving without resigning or serving the full notice period due to one or more of the following reasons:

1. After giving resignation, their salary might be withheld, and there could be a delay in the full and final payment.
2. Management may force or threaten them not to leave the organization.
3. They may lack the courage to face their boss and express their desire to quit.
4. They need to join a new organization immediately but do not want to pay for the notice period to the existing organization.
5. There are no outstanding amounts at full and final settlement, such as LTA, medical, bonus, etc.
6. They may have taken a loan or advance which they do not want to repay.

Regards,
Sanjeev

How can we judge if an employee is going to change jobs? The employee mentioned they would be on leave for two to three days, but then there was no communication or reply. Since I joined this company in October, four employees have left one by one. I was the one who recruited all of them.

Thank you.

Hi Priti, try having a "post-exit interview conducted" to check what is triggering the resignation. It will give you insight into what is happening, and then you can strategize your planning on "retention measures".

Regards,
UKmitra

I hope you are working in the textile industry for M/s Meher International based in Surat, manufacturing fire, yarn, etc. Regarding your query about the action to be taken against employees leaving your company without intimation even though you have all the policies in place, my suggestion is that your company should engage a lawyer/labor law expert and review all your company policies first.

Simultaneously, make a list of all those employees who have left your company without following proper exit strategies in place for the last one/two years. Send a letter by registered post with acknowledgment to their last known address, intimating them about their unauthorized exit or leave taken, and not reporting for duty is misconduct. Ask them to report for duty immediately upon receipt of the letter, failing which disciplinary and legal action will be taken against them.

If they come and try to join the company, then take the reason for the unauthorized absence in writing. If satisfied with the reply, allow them to join the company. If not satisfied, then you can take both legal and disciplinary action against them.

Alternatively, if no reply is received within 15 days of dispatch of the letter, file a police complaint against the employee for deserting the company without intimation and also initiate disciplinary action simultaneously. It is always good to take the assistance of a good lawyer while taking such actions.

Regards

Intriguing discussion. Firstly, before I pen my views, congratulations on implementing/following so many HR initiatives in your firm. From all your communication, I could infer that you work for a small unit, as 4 candidates leaving/absconding is critical for business function.

Keeping this in mind, I would like to check whether all the HR initiatives you/your company are incorporating are necessary for a small setup. Please don't get me wrong; I am not saying you are wrong, and there is no need for HR initiatives in a small organization. What I mean is, if it is really necessary to provide all facilities to your employees, sometimes employees might not have the capacity to take your initiative in the right light.

You joined in October, which is around 7-8 months ago. Assuming it's you who has initiated all the HR concepts in the company, it's too little time to implement too many things. The group should be mature to assimilate the changes/initiative. This could create confusion amongst the employees.

Clear communication is the only way to solve this concern. A clear channel of communication should be set up for employees to channel their views; it can also be used to educate the employee on various policies rolled out.

I also suggest you check the attrition level before you joined. If it has been a norm, then the cause may be something else, as suggested by the other senior members.

Here I am just trying to give an alternate viewpoint and don't mean to negate the good work you are doing.

Hope my cynical view helps you find a solution.

Best Regards,
Sagar

Well, it is a problem with many companies, and to avoid that, you need to add some contract or legal agreement while employing a person so that in such cases, you can register a complaint. By the way, if a few employees leave in this manner, then it happens, but if all the employees are doing the same thing, then you need to rethink your HR policy or do what is necessary to make employees happy and comfortable so that they can submit a resignation letter if they want to leave.

Enhancing Employee Engagement and Retention

Consider conducting interviews with current employees rather than just exit interviews. This approach might help you gather feedback on areas for improvement.

- Have a suggestion box.
- Organize a get-together once a month.
- Build a free and transparent culture.
- Trust your employees and make them realize that they are assets of the company, not liabilities.
- Involve them in decision-making.
- Allow them to be creative and innovative.

Regards,
Nits

The Importance of Stay Interviews

Instead of having exit interviews, please conduct stay interviews. This means you should constantly, at frequent intervals, conduct sessions where employees are allowed to express both the good and the bad aspects of the workplace.

In order to retain employees, we have to be proactive. Many organizations conduct exit interviews, but the benefits have been very negligible because employees who leave rarely document their true hardships. On the contrary, stay interviews can motivate employees and make them feel that the organization genuinely cares for them.

Kindly find the reasons for employees leaving your organization and ensure that they are fully satisfied as per your company policy.

Regards,
Ms. Minesh K.

Dear Priti,

You need to find out the reasons why the employees are not willing to work and consider implementing a re-induction policy. This policy should be communicated to your department heads. Ensure that everyone is aware of it.

If the employees who have left are not suitable for rehiring, please do not bring them back into the organization as it may lead to problems and damage your reputation.

Best regards,

At the same time, I would like to add one more point: have one-on-one discussions or meetings with your employees to find out how they are feeling at work and with their coworkers. This may bring out some valuable points that you need to concentrate on in the forthcoming days.

Regards,
KKR