How Should I Respond to an Employee's Sudden Resignation After Just One Week?

Hi, One of my employees joined on the 30th of June 2014. He took a leave on the 3rd of July, stating that his mom is unwell and he needs to take her to the doctor. Just after 4 days, on 07.07.2014, he sent an email stating that he is ill and requires a week's leave to recover from a fever. Again, after 3 days, on 10.07.2014, he sent his resignation email stating that the distance from his house to the office is too much, and hence he finds it difficult to travel (the actual distance is only 35 km one way, and we have people traveling more than 50 km one way for work). I am unsure how to respond to his resignation letter. I also want to tell him that such an attitude towards work will not take him far in the future.

Employee Resignation and Relieving Process

One of my employees joined on the 30th of June 2014. He took leave on the 3rd of July, stating that his mom was not keeping well and he needed to take her to the doctor. Just after 4 days, on 07.07.2014, he sent an email stating that he was not feeling well and needed a week's leave to recover from a fever. Again, after 3 days, on 10.07.2014, he sent his resignation email stating that the distance from his house to the office was too much, and hence he found it difficult to travel. (The actual travel distance is only 35 km one way, and we have people traveling more than 50 km one way for work.)

I believe he has practically worked only for 5 days in the week (assuming you work on Saturday). He went on leave on the 7th due to fever for a week and informed us on the 10th about his resignation due to traveling inconvenience.

If you have handed him his appointment letter, it is necessary to give him his relieving letter; otherwise, just keep the record in the system.

I really don't know how to reply to his resignation letter. I also want to tell him that such an attitude towards work will take him nowhere in the near future.

Relieving Letter Content

To whomsoever this may concern:

Mr./Ms. XYZ has been associated with us since the 30th of June 2014. Since traveling is an issue for him/her, his/her resignation dated 10th of July 2014 has been accepted, and he/she has been relieved from his/her duties from that day.

Since the person has been associated with us for only a short period of a week, we are unable to comment on his working behavior.

Regards,
HR

Seniors, please advise.

Handling Employee Resignation During Probation

There are three issues involved. If an employee is on training or on probation and there is a clause requiring a notice period for leaving the service, then the resignation can be rejected for non-fulfillment of the contract of employment. As the concerned employee has worked for a very short time, I suppose that he is not a permanent employee. If he is a permanent employee, then you can refuse to accept the resignation by stating that he has not complied with the terms and conditions of the appointment order, specifically serving the notice period.

In any case, it all depends on the policy of the company. If the company does not want him, then you can plainly accept the resignation letter and relieve him from the services of the company. However, this might create a bad precedent as there is a likelihood of this kind of tendency developing in the company. As the HR, you should be the first to set a firm example, ensuring there are no possible complications like this in the future.

Regards,

Before taking up the job, the candidate/employee would have certainly known the distance from home to work and vice versa. It is amusing to hear the excuse he is giving now for resignation as "long distance"! These days, it has become a standard excuse to quit a job on flimsy grounds. Obviously, he underwent an interview and now got a job, hence wanted to quit. I found a similar posting from a person saying he wanted to quit a job within a week as he got a better job; wanted to know how to go about it (maybe the same person!). There is no commitment from youngsters these days; they change jobs like changing shirts!

Strike off his name from your rolls, accept his resignation, do not pay any salary for this period, and move forward. Find out who was the next wait-listed candidate and ask them to join duty. These days, don't get emotional or sentimental about people joining or leaving. Be in tune with the times. Best wishes.

Our learned HR experts have given you sound advice. As a retired academic, I have some observations. Really, the person has worked only 3 days: June 30, July 1, and 2. It is quite possible that his mother fell ill after he took up the job and that the distance is a problem. I am originally from Bangalore, and I find traveling 35 km is a lot of strain these days. Does the company provide transport, or do the workers arrange their own? Even in the UK, where we have excellent roads, traveling 35 km can take well over an hour during peak periods.

As he has attended, you really cannot withhold his pay that is due. Relieve him on compassionate grounds and make sure you conduct a thorough investigation before offering the job in the future.

As others have opined, I don't think it's a case worth pursuing any further. I can only guess that he might have found a better appointment elsewhere, or perhaps he didn't like the environment, etc. Since this happened during the probation period, there's not much you can do. Moreover, such occurrences are common nowadays, and I believe you should not waste your time worrying about this anymore. It's best to close the file. I don't think you should even issue a relieving letter, as he likely won't approach you for it. Move ahead and try to call the next candidate on your panel. Who knows, he or she might be better suited to your needs than the one who left.

Actually, this case is not fit for any more discussions. The establishment door is for both entry and exit. Nobody can be compelled to stick to one job. Don't waste further time. It's better to send your acceptance letter since he has submitted his resignation and relieve him from the services. I presume that he may be a probationer. During the probationary period, either party can give one day's notice as per normal practice. I do not know what you have mentioned in his appointment order.

Please ensure that during the course of the interview, you must focus on the reliability of the candidate and properly evaluate them before you appoint him. This is one of the most important things and challenges for HR executives.

I hope your doubts are now cleared. I presume you are from Margao-Goa.

Regards,
Adoni Sugursh
Sr. Executive (Pers, Admin & Ind. Rels) Rtd
Labour Laws Consultant

Upon reviewing your query, it can be inferred that the employee in question is not interested in continuing employment with your company. It appears that they have been providing excuses initially in order to secure an offer from another company. In such a scenario, retaining this employee may not be beneficial for the organization. It would be advisable to request the employee to come to the office to complete the necessary exit formalities. Additionally, you may want to engage in a conversation with the employee to understand the specific reasons for their dissatisfaction. There are instances where new employees do not feel comfortable due to the work environment, and it is important to address such concerns.

Kind regards,
Regards

It is purely his discretion whether he wishes to continue in the organization or not. The reason is whatever he is leaving the organization for. As an HR professional, you should check what your company policies state in such cases. The rest is just the story.

Regards,
Abhay