How Do You Handle a Top Performer Who Frequently Absconds? Seeking Advice

Hi all,

I am working for a retail company. One employee is in L1 - CSA. He is target-oriented and achieves his targets, finishes his work on time without any errors. He is a good performer but he absconds every month. I counseled him, explained the career path advantages and disadvantages of doing so.

Is there anything else I can do to change his behavior? Please instruct on what can be done.

Waiting for your suggestions.

Please find the reason for absconding. Unless you identify this reason, addressing symptoms of illness will not be effective.

Thanks, Prashant, for your valuable information. His reasons are more related to family issues. He should balance both professional and personal aspects, but he is not able to. What to do...

Dear Tejaswy, abscondment of duties nullifies the good performance of duties. Whatever family issues may be, the employee must give primacy to the duties. Yes, depending on the seriousness of the problem, it is a challenging task; nevertheless, there cannot be a trade-off with the duties that provide the employee with his bread and butter. Therefore, go ahead and take disciplinary action when that good performer is absent next time.

By the way, you need to be given feedback on the way you give piecemeal information. In your first post itself, you should have provided complete information on how you handled the case. Nevertheless, when a regular member like Prashant asks you a question, you give a crisp reply. This is a bit of a juvenile-like approach. Professionalism demands giving complete information so that other members are not required to ask too many questions. I hope you elevate the standards of your posts.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

Addressing Absence from Duty

Absence from duty is an act that nullifies good work. Do not accept it. Learned member Dineshji is absolutely right. A firm counseling by his immediate manager and recording the details in documents needs to be done. Ignoring his absence can cause others to follow suit. Family issues are no reason to treat his work discipline casually. He has to balance his work and personal life in his way. Company time cannot be compromised by his "good" work. Put him on notice that unauthorized absence will not be acceptable anymore.

Dear colleague, the employee seems to possess a positive attitude, as displayed in his achievement of targets when at work, but he absconds, perhaps due to some compelling family issues (although these are not stated).

While the company should not lose such an achievement-oriented employee, at the same time, his absconding attitude needs to be corrected. You need to find out what the real family issues are and whether he is genuinely affected by them or if he is using them as a lame excuse.

Find out if giving him some extended leave to tackle his issues can help him. I believe skillful counseling is necessary to clearly convey the message that while he is a valuable employee, he needs to improve his ways; otherwise, he will face progressively severe punitive actions. The focus should be on changing his attitude towards attendance rather than relying solely on punitive measures as a last resort.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar HR-Consultant

Where is the issue? It is not clear from your post. You describe him as a performer and an achiever who meets targets, maintains punctuality, and completes work promptly, preventing any negative impact on your business.

When your company's work is not affected by his absence, what concerns you? Getting too involved in someone's personal life is inappropriate. You have already counseled him; now, to address his absenteeism, consider providing some financial motivation. This type of person will likely prioritize accordingly. Do not stretch the string beyond its elasticity; the loss will be yours.

Handling Absenteeism in High Performers

You cannot have different policies for good performers and poor performers. If an employee absconds, it constitutes misconduct, and disciplinary action should be initiated according to the company's rules. Failing to take any action against them will send the wrong message to other staff members.

Steps to Address Absenteeism

If, despite repeated counseling, the employee continues to abscond, you may remove them from the payroll and establish a market partner agreement. This agreement would be purely on a commission basis, exempting them from regular employment conditions. However, before proceeding, it is essential to understand the employee's psychology accurately and design the agreement to benefit both parties.

Dear colleagues,

I believe our focus should be on guiding him to rectify the issue of absconding, even though we lack information on the frequency and duration of his absences in a month, rather than getting distracted by peripheral concerns.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant

Hello Tejaswy, I agree with Mr. Vinayak's and Mohanty's suggestions. No doubt, absconding is not to be condoned, but here the reasons for absconding seem to be related to work-life balance. It is not advisable to lose a performer in the name of discipline as a first alternative. There is no point in having an employee attending the office punctually throughout the year without any contribution. The cost of having such an employee is higher than that of an absconding but performing employee.

So, you can tell him that as family is important to an individual, a job is also crucial to run a family, and that he needs to balance both. Absconding from duty is certainly not the solution. Some options you can explore to help him are:

1) As Mr. Vinayak suggested, try giving him leave at the point of need.
2) Explore, as Mohanty suggested, the possibility of providing monetary incentives.
3) Explore the possibility of raising his pay.
4) Think of staggering his working hours.
5) Think of allowing him to work from home.
6) See whether his status from 'employee' to 'consultant' can be changed so that he can attend to his family and work.

If all these do not work out, look for his replacement.

B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Relations Adviser
Navi Mumbai

No employee, however good and efficient, can be bigger than the business. The employee needs to strike a work-life balance for which the company can be helpful up to limits. Giving him special monetary benefits will not be in order, as other employees in the same cadre will be discriminated against by this. Give him time to sort out his family affairs but never let him feel that he has become so indispensable that the company is bending over backwards.

Dear colleague, while my thoughts largely align with some, I do not believe that any monetary incentive will be of help. This is a work-life balance issue, and the root cause is within the family. The querist has not highlighted the compelling reasons in the family that lead to his absences from duty, nor the frequency and duration of his absences in a month to address this issue.

Definition of Absconding

"Absconding" means sudden absence from duty without intimation. If he is a good performer, then why is he not acting responsibly by making a phone call to inform about his absence?

Possible Solutions

As mentioned above, what may effectively work is giving him leave, adjusting duty timings, allowing him to work from home for some time, but he needs to agree to the suggestions and take responsibility for changing his behavior.

As aptly said, if nothing works, bid him goodbye.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR Consultant

Moving to the 22nd Century

Yes, we are moving to the 22nd century, and it's time to forget the usual formalities. In the USA, some companies do not even expect daily online attendance. The focus is on whether the required targets are fulfilled by the concerned individual.

Company Review Meetings

Even in monthly company review meetings, the boss might say, "Good morning, gentlemen... It is once, dear colleagues...my dear co-employees like that..."

Focus on Target Completion

The younger generation is focused on the completion of targets. Once your work is finished, there should be no unnecessary pressure, unlike the fake loyalty often seen in government departments.

Handling Absconding Employees

Though absconding is not a good trait for any employee, even if he is a good worker, it is important to address it with caution. Try to correct him orally with warnings. Issue normal memos for specific instances, such as not attending calls when needed. Allow him time to recover from his issues without undue pressure. A slower approach to change is often more effective.