Why Do Employees Leave Without Resigning, and How Can HR Address This Issue?

Hi!

I would like to understand the main reasons why an employee would leave without submitting their resignation. What are the consequences of this type of exit for the company, and what can the HR department do to reduce such cases of employees leaving without submitting a resignation?

It's very logical.

Employees leave mostly because they found a better job elsewhere. Perhaps the present company is not paying well, or maybe they do not like the industry, or they do not get along with their reporting manager, or they feel they are being under-utilized... There are many reasons.

People leaving without resignations might be those with less than one year of experience in that company. They might have found a better-paid and more exciting job elsewhere as a fresher. So, your certificate of employment would be of no use to them.

You can ask them to sign an agreement or conduct silent feedback surveys and proactively provide what they want. Recruitment should be perfect so that you choose only those whom you believe would stay.

Hi Nitin Sharma,

There are various reasons why employees are leaving their jobs without submitting their resignation. It differs from employee to employee and corporate to corporate.

But as per my experience with corporates, I observe the following points for the above:

Employee Side:

1. Employee is not able to understand the responsibilities towards the organization.

2. He doesn't want to adjust with the system.

3. He may not be able to put 100% or even 50% into his dedicated responsibilities.

4. He may not be getting the simple thing that he is there in the organization to solve the problems.

5. He may not see himself safe in that organization.

Employer's Side:

1. The corporate is not taking proper care of the Employee.

2. It may not be able to solve the personal problem of its employee.

3. Corporate is not giving proper training to its employees.

4. The organization's structure is not good enough to identify the exact problem of an individual employee.

5. Corporate's Performance Appraisal System may not be fair.

I have only listed those reasons that I think are the major factors behind leaving a job without resignations. There are a lot more.

Thanks,

Kranti

This would normally happen when the employee has decided to leave the job for good or when the new employer is not asking for a reference. It reflects very badly on the employee and comes across as a very unprofessional approach.

Hi Nitin,

A good question..

"I would like to understand the main reasons why any employee would leave without submitting his resignation?"

My colleagues have provided their viewpoints, which answers your question.

"What are the consequences of this type of an exit for the company and what can the HR department do to reduce such absconding exit cases (Employees leaving without submitting resignation)?"

How to prevent such occurrences:
- Educate the newcomers about the same and their relevance to the legal standpoint.
- If someone quits without a resignation letter, you can withhold his full and final settlement.
- Just follow the way I do, insist on a copy of acceptance of the resignation letter before he/she joins you in the offer letter.
- Set a strong example with these errants who behave in this way. As rightly said, one needs to punish those who fail to send the strong message.

Cheers,
Rajat

Hi!

This situation will always happen in organizations that do not have a clear policy and/or employment contract and do not orient the employee prior to their first day of work regarding their duties and organizational responsibilities.

Your Employment Contract (plus Employee Handbook) must clearly state the conditions of employment and the procedures for ending or terminating their employment. Without them, anyone can just walk away anytime they want, and the company will be at a losing end.

In our part of the world, especially in the Employment Contract and Employee Handbook that we develop, set up, and/or sell to our clients, these things are very clear and legally spelled out.

As a matter of fact, even our Labor Code stipulates that resigning employees must give their employers an advance 30-days notice (minimum) prior to resignation; otherwise, they will lose their separation benefits and can be sued by the employer for damages arising from a resignation without the required advance notice.

This matter must always be enforced by HR managers in their organization because of the following reasons:

1) Re-hiring good/competent employees takes time, and the cost is high.

2) There is a need for job/responsibility turnover to the new staff.

3) There is a need for the resigning employee to clear himself/herself from accountabilities, especially monetary and office equipment (e.g., laptop computer).

4) There is a possibility that operations can be disrupted, and the company will incur penalties and losses, especially when the employee holds a highly technical position, and training of a new replacement is necessary to handle the job competently.

Best wishes.

Ed Llarena, Jr. Managing Partner Emilla Consulting

Hi Ed,

Thank you for your valuable insights.

I would also appreciate it if you could share some quick-hit methods to address the issue of employees leaving without notice. If anyone has worked on a similar project before, I would be grateful for any information you can provide.

Thank you and best regards,
Nitin Sharma

Hi there,

I have read all the responses forwarded thus far, and while for the most part, I agree with the statements made, I would suggest that, in truth, you are dealing with "free will" adults who make choices based on their personal integrity. Unless there is a legal requirement that you can pursue for not giving "just notice," you might as well accept that these individuals have no intention of using your firm as a work reference and really don't care about burnt bridges. It is a reality that all HR professionals face.

Best Regards,
Jo Verde
JeMM Consultants
www.jemmconsultants.com

Hi,

I believe the solution to this problem does not lie with the company the employee is leaving, but it depends on the company the employee is going to join.

If the future employer asks for the relieving from the previous company, obviously, he will need to submit his resignation and take full and final settlement from the previous company. Although the new employer may provide him some time to complete all clearances, they should inform the employee clearly that he will be required to leave the company if he does not submit the same within the stipulated time.

However, in general practice, this is not happening. The reason is that a company often hires a person urgently or through a reference without verifying whether the new employee has completed all previous clearances or not.

To address this issue, the employer should conduct background checks on all new employees, and the previous employer should send a letter stating if the employee has not completed all clearances (if known where the employee has joined).

Regards,

VISHAL

Hi,

Why employees leave organizations could be analyzed from different viewpoints, as pointed out by the rest. It's always useful to maintain a policy on employee resignation and on resignation letters. This would enhance employer-employee relations for the betterment of both parties.

Regards

Hi Vishal,

You are absolutely right. Until the industry itself takes it seriously, this problem is not going to be solved. These days, even the big brands are not bothered to ask for the relieving letters. They recruit candidates without asking for them. In such a situation, it is very obvious that employees will take their present employers for granted and leave at their own will. It's absolutely those companies to be blamed who follow these unethical practices.

SAI KIRAN

Could you kindly elaborate on what you meant by getting a signature on acceptance of resignation upon acceptance of an offer?

Regards,
Monaza

Hi,

I am Aneesh Chandy, currently working on my MBA HR project where I have been tasked with studying the reasons why employees leave an organization, specifically focusing on their personal reasons. The study involves discussing the various factors that contribute to employees deciding to leave, such as Personal Factors, External Factors, Internal Factors, and Psychological Factors.

I am feeling quite confused about this task and would greatly appreciate your assistance.

With regards,
Aneesh Chandy

Dear All,
Please guide me in writing a letter to an employee who has resigned without giving the resignation and without notice period. According to the rules the employee has to pay one months' salary if he/she leaves without giving one month's prior notice.
Please do reply ASAP.
Thanks n Regards,
Ritambhara Agarwal

Please go thru the attrition rate causes and how to reduce those in "ATTRITION" rate articles. Some reasons are:
1. Employees leave mostly because they got a better job elsewhere.
2. May be the employee does not like the industry.
3. May be the employee feels that he's being under-utilised.

Now-a-days because of want of talent employee movement is more in the professional category and in administrative gategory in exceptional cases.

Those who leave are not bothered as their P.F is gaurded (AND CAN BE OBTAINED ANY TIME IN FUTURE) and those who recruit them are not bothered to look their past as they want their work to be done.

Dear All,

Thanks for your reply..it helps me a lot....Actually the employee was not from the same city...he left the organization by saying that he is not well and has been hospitalized...and from the last one month he is not in touch with the organization...according to the appointment letter he has to pay a months salary to the organization..so please help me in drafting a mail to him...we have already draft one letter and couriered him...the letter was as follows:

Dear_________,

This has reference to your Appointment Letter Dated ............

Calling upon you to submit a written explanation within 72 hours (3 days), for your continued absence, without any intimation. We note with regret that you have neither resumed your duties nor have you explained the reason for your continued, willful and unauthorized absence.

You are hereby informed that in case you do not respond to us with any satisfactory explanation for your continued absence from work within 3 days on receipt of this letter you will lose your lien on your service as a “Faculty” and it is deemed that you have abandoned the employment of your own accord.

Your legal dues will be settled by the Accounts department during working hours. You are advised to return all the company belongings to the Administrative officer.

You may collect your full & final settlement dues, if any, from the Accounts Department.

So plz guide me to draft a letter for his termination...