Occasionally, each employee needs some time off, which is fine. However, doing it in a way that disturbs the flow, as well as the efficiency of your business, is most certainly not! If some of your employees want to miss work, or are sick, or have some personal errands to do, then he or she should let you about the upcoming changes.
In this case, you’ll have enough time to find someone to replace them. For that reason, as a business owner, you should implement an active no call no show policy, to avoid further issues. Basically, this policy reflects a situation when an employee doesn’t go to work and fails to notify the employer on time.
Now, let’s break down common patterns, and see how business owners should behave towards irresponsible employees.
Disciplinary action
One of the ways to rectify your employee’s behavior is the implementation of disciplinary actions, and how severe they are, mostly depends on you. While some employers don’t tolerate such behavior, others are more forgiving, ready to use a 3-strike approach.
On the other hand, you can apply creative punishments by giving employees unpopular shifts in the future. However, the typical strategies involve a temporary suspension and a written statement.
How to deal with a “no call no show” worker?
Establish a proper policy
If you don’t have a suitable policy implemented, then workers can take advantage of your system, or even cause legal issues. In that case, by putting into work a policy that addresses attendance, contract termination, or punishments, you are leaving nothing to the imagination.
But, keep in mind that some states have different employment laws, so it might be a good idea to hire a lawyer to review your policy.
No exception
All employees should be equal, and it shouldn’t matter if your worker is a repeat offender or a star of the month. In this case, treat everyone in the same way, to avoid dissatisfaction.
Talk with them
In some situations, maybe there is a legitimate reason behind their absence. Therefore, please talk with your workers to ensure that they actually deserve punishment before implementing justice.
Common excuses vs. valid ones
Based on numerous studies, more than 4.3 million people admitted to lying and using common explanations for a day of work. The same studies showed that employees tend to use excuses on Fridays to have a long weekend.
Here are some of the bad excuses you shouldn’t use:
- I am sick – of course, this could be a valid reason to miss work; however, it one of the top excuses people use.
- My alarm didn’t go off.
- I had a hangover.
- I lost my phone.
- I missed my bus or train.
Valid reasons involve the following:
- I had an appointment I couldn’t reschedule.
- I had a family emergency.
- Chronic illness, since you probably have evidence that supports this claim.
What is the difference between “no call no show” and job abandonment?
In cases, when a worker doesn’t show up for work three or more days, it’s considered as job abandonment or voluntary termination. We can assume that he or she doesn’t have an intention to go back to work, which is the primary difference, and it shouldn’t be mixed with “no call no show”.
However, before you terminate his contract, you need to ensure that your employee didn’t have any kind of emergency, which stopped him from calling you and notifying you about the current situation.
Therefore, to avoid further issues, have an open and trustworthy relationship with your workers. But, good policy definitely helps.
