Employee Absconded - Seeking Advice on Legal Actions

Dear All

I am reaching out to seek guidance regarding a concerning situation we are facing in our organization.

One of our employees has absconded from duty without any prior notice or communication. Despite our attempts to reach out through various means, there has been no response from their end. This sudden disappearance has created operational challenges and left us in a difficult position.

In light of this situation, we are exploring our options in terms of legal actions that can be taken against the absconding employee. We understand that there may be specific protocols or legal avenues that we need to follow in such cases, and we would greatly appreciate any insights or advice from members of this esteemed community who may have experience or expertise in this area.

Specifically, we are interested in knowing:

What are the legal implications of an employee absconding from their duties without prior notice?
What steps should we take to formally document the employee's absence and our efforts to contact them?
Are there any specific legal actions or procedures that we can initiate to address this situation?
How can we safeguard the interests of the company while ensuring compliance with relevant employment laws and regulations?

Any guidance or recommendations provided will be immensely valuable to us as we navigate through this challenging situation. Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

Hi,

If the employee abscond without any information you need to follow the proper disciplinary process.

Warning letter to be issued to the employee's present and permanent address through RPAD. Sufficient opportunity should be provided for the employee and if the employee fails to report back even after sufficient opportunity is provided then termination letter may be served.

You cannot take any legal action against an employee not reporting to duty. Even the term 'absconding' is a word causing stigma to the employee. An employee has the right to take employment and leave it if he does not like it! But you can initiate an action by sending a letter by registered post and repeating the same for two more times, and then take a call to treat the contract of employment terminated 'assuming that he has 'abandoned the job'. Please note that you should not use the word 'absconding' but can use 'he has abandoned the job or he is no longer interested in continuing the job.

You can recover any damage but in rder to do that there should be sufficient evidence to show that you have incurred it in real term. It should not be an anticipatory loss but should be actual loss.