Absence Without Notice: Should We Allow an Employee to Serve Their Notice Period Now?

Dear Professionals,

If an employee returns after three days of being absent without notice, can the company consider allowing them to serve the notice period now?

Why not? It is a matter of only three days. Let him work and complete the notice period or until a replacement is made as you think fit. You can even consider the three days as leave with pay if he has a sufficient number of leaves to his credit.

Dear Madhu Sir, This employee is searching for a job during office hours while still in the probation period. He has been planning to abscond after receiving his salary. However, we have withheld his salary due to being aware of his intentions. Subsequently, he approached us and expressed readiness to serve the notice period.

He was absent for three days without prior notification to us or his reporting managers. Additionally, he failed to respond to phone calls and messages from his colleagues. His sole intention seemed to be the release of his salary. Considering his unexcused absence for three consecutive days, can we categorize him as absconded in our records?

Thank you.

Hi, In the normal course, such a request will not be entertained by employers as the credibility of the employee has already been compromised when he/she absconded without information. Even if you allow the employee to serve the remaining notice period, ensure data security for the work handled by the employee and revoke the employee's server access. It is highly likely that the employee only returned due to a lack of salary. Therefore, it is completely at the discretion of the employer.

In such a scenario, if you reject the employee's request, as an employer, you will be expected to pay the employee one month's salary since the employee is willing to serve the notice period but you are refusing to accept it.

I think the same matter was raised by somebody else or yourself. In your first post, you did not mention the misconduct of doing personal work during office hours and using office infrastructure. In such occasions, you can initiate disciplinary action for that.

Three days' absence from work cannot be treated as absconding from work. You can refuse to sanction his leave and mark the day as unpaid leave. However, an employee will be declared absconding when he never returns, but in this case, he has returned after three days. You can issue a show cause notice and ask him why he did not apply for leave in advance nor pick up the phone; he may have excuses, and you are supposed to understand his situation.

Dear Friend,

You can mark the employee absent for the period of absence. Three days of absence without intimation means it can't be considered as leave. You can call for an explanation if it violates any rules of the company. Does your company consider any "absent period" as leave if there is an intimation?

It is better to consider his resignation from the date of his absence or ask him to pay in lieu of notice.