Absconded Employee Wants Experience Letter After Years – Should HR Agree?

If an employee has absconded and, even after sending two absenteeism letters, no reply has been received and the file is closed, what should be done if the employee suddenly asks for an experience letter after a few years and agrees to clear the dues? Should HR provide the experience letter after the dues are cleared? Please advise.

Hi, I hope the file has been closed after serving the proper termination letter.

Now, the employee is contacting us for an experience certificate, which he may need to submit to his future employer.

In this situation, it is solely the employer's decision whether to provide an experience certificate after accepting payment in lieu of the notice period.

If you decide to fulfill the employee's request, please ensure to document the process correctly.

Firstly, obtain an apology letter from the employee for absconding without prior notice. The employee must acknowledge their wrongdoing and express their intention to make a payment in lieu of the notice period. Whenever possible, acquire these letters in a handwritten format. Collect a Demand Draft made out to the company, and subsequently, issue the experience letter.

If the management is unwilling to provide an experience letter, close the matter by informing the employee that due to their unauthorized absence, an experience letter cannot be issued at this time.

Issuing an Experience Letter for an Absconding Employee

What is the big deal in giving him an experience letter? It is true that he just abandoned the job and you declared him as absconding. If the employee is ready to bear the cost of any loss you suffered due to that, why don't you agree and give him a letter stating that he was relieved following his resignation? As Lakshmi Narayan has said, you can collect an apology letter as well. I think we should close it by issuing a letter and let him build a career. He will always remember you as a good employer and a good place to work.