Employee Left Abruptly for Another Job: Should I Accept His Apology and Rehire Him?

I have come across a situation where an employee absconded without informing us and joined another company overnight. He worked with us for nearly 1 and a half years. He was a very productive, high-performing, and prompt candidate. Now, he has admitted that he came under someone's influence and took such a step. After a month's time, he is reaching out and expressing his desire to rejoin the company.

What should I do in this scenario? Should I consider his apology and give him a second chance?

No one is indispensable

What action was taken by your organization after the employee absconded? Personally, if I were in the decision-making seat, this employee should not be taken back. However good he may be at work, the EQ of the employee is poor, as it is evident that he gets influenced to abscond and within a month, finds himself unhappy in the new company and wants to come back. Actions are purely selfish, and he keeps himself above work interest. This is my reading of the psychology of the employee.

Secondly, on your query, please understand "I" is supposed to be capitalized. Please make it a point to present queries in a proper fashion. Sentences begin with capital letters. Take due care.

Dear Sankalp, this is in addition to what Mr. Nathrao has said. In fact, I am going to recommend what he suggested but in different words.

Abandonment of employment

Your company is a business enterprise and not a rehabilitation center. If an employee abandons their employment, you need to follow the procedure for indiscipline. Abandonment of employment is nothing but breaching trust. Why would you want to reemploy someone who has ditched you?

Maintaining a culture of discipline

Maintaining a culture of discipline in the company is of utmost importance. If you reemploy this person, it will send a wrong message to others. Regardless of one's stellar performance, anyone who crosses a disciplinary line must be dealt with accordingly.

Considerations for reemployment

If this person had submitted a letter of resignation, completed a notice period, and had a smooth separation, then you could have considered their reemployment. However, this is not the case here. Therefore, I strongly oppose his reinstatement.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Sankalp, in the captioned subject, both the senior colleagues have provided the most valued opinion. The posting reveals that the employee's past has been satisfactory, productive, and prompt. When a person confesses, admits their mistakes, and begs for an apology, it is enough to consider granting amnesty. But...

Have you sought the decision of the head of the establishment on the matter?

In a particular situation, the decision of the head of the institution is final. The role of the HR department is to provide policy-related comments to the HOE for decision-making. (Did the work suffer in their absence? Did you fill the vacancy that arose from the absence? What will you do with the additional person upon absorption?)

This is a policy matter

This is a policy matter because discipline within the establishment is associated with the decision. Many times, decisions are made based on the gravity of the situation, commonly known as a special case. Any decision made in haste may jeopardize the future.

Dear Colleague, I beg to differ with my learned colleagues. In my view, the facts have to be ascertained to enable taking the right decision. Here is a case of an employee who, on record, appears to have absconded, joined another company without following separation terms, and after a month wants to rejoin because of repentance at the wrong decision. The question is what the right decision is, whether to reemploy because he was a productive, performer, and prompt employee or deny him that opportunity.

Employee's Performance and Mistake

His plus points are his proven good performance during one and a half years' service. His negative point is he absconded suddenly and joined another company breaching employment terms, which is a grave mistake. Before recommending to higher management, keep your mind open and in a face-to-face talk with him, ascertain the full circumstances which led him to abscond and also whether he is sincerely repenting his decision to leave under some wrong influence.

Steps to Consider for Reemployment

If your findings reveal that there is strong merit in his say, ask him to put the entire sequence of events leading to what made him abscond and his sincere apology for the same with a request to reconsider him for reemployment.

Final Considerations

At this stage, I would like to take a view that his good performance should weigh more in the context of his acceptance of absconding as a grave mistake and his genuine repentance for it. I think if the above process or, for that matter, any other way the facts prove that it was a decision on his part taken under misleading influences and he fell prey to it for which he now sincerely repents and he goes on record on it, it amply merits considering him for reemployment.

Anyway, the final call is to be taken by you and your management. Although I fully accept that the person has indulged in an act of indiscipline and nobody is indispensable, still everything always need not be viewed as a black and white situation as there are shades of grey in between.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR- Consultant.