How to Handle Unreliable Employees: Can I Terminate After a Resignation Email?

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all are doing well! I need your guidance on the following query:

Handling Unreliable Employees

One candidate joined our company as a recruiter last month. After just one day of joining, she was found absent from her duties and not responding to our calls. Suddenly, she replied, "Sorry, I can't connect with you right now. I'm facing family issues (relative's death)." We gave her some time.

A month later, she texted me to rejoin the company, showing serious interest this time. She assured us she would not neglect her duties. Four days before rejoining, she provided one day of service but then took another two days off. On the third day, she sent a resignation email to us.

I trusted her words and understood her situation, giving her a second chance. However, she repeated the same behavior. How can we deal with such candidates so they can learn from their mistakes? Can I terminate her after receiving her resignation email?

Please assist me; I require your valuable guidance.

Dear Colleague,

Despite your being tolerant of her stated predicament, it seems she has taken advantage of you.

If she is still serving her notice period and employed by you, issue a show cause notice detailing the chronological sequence of her absences/misbehavior and request a written explanation. Until then, refrain from accepting her resignation.

Based on whether an explanation is received or not, follow up for further guidance.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR and Employee Relations Consultant

Dear member,

If the newly joined employee has sent the resignation email, then process the resignation and remove her from the job with immediate effect. I doubt whether you had issued her the appointment letter. If it has not been issued, then the terms of employment do not matter, and the question of serving a notice period does not arise.

Guidance on the incident

You have asked in your post for guidance on the incident. The lesson to be learned is improvement in the recruitment practices. The newly joined employee has a casual approach toward her career. But then, why was this casualness not detected during the job interview? What kind of tests did you conduct to check her recruitment skills? What questions did you ask to understand her psychology?

Evaluate recruitment process

Now it is time for you to evaluate her recruitment. Have you maintained records of the questions asked in the interview and her replies? If the records are available, then it is time to review those records. If you have not maintained any records, then it is high time to start the process of maintaining records.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

You can terminate her, but it may not be justified. Instead, send a letter requiring her to serve the notice period as per her terms of appointment. If she fails to comply, her services can be terminated.