If an employee fails to attend work and does not contact the employer to explain their absence, the employer should make reasonable efforts to contact them. The employer’s first concern should be the employee’s wellbeing, particularly where they are usually reliable, as the lack of contact could indicate that there is a serious problem (for example a family emergency or an accident).
It may be appropriate to try to contact the employee’s next of kin if repeated attempts to contact the employee fail, and the employer should keep a record of all the attempts that it makes to contact the employee.
Once the employer has made contact with the employee, or they return to work, the employer should investigate the reason for their absence and the lack of contact.
If there is a legitimate reason such as dealing with a family emergency, and the employee has informed the employer as soon as possible, this could be covered by the statutory right to time off for dependants. In this case, it would not count as unauthorised absence.
Depending on the outcome of the investigation, it may be appropriate to begin a disciplinary process. While employers need to be consistent, fair and non-discriminatory in how they deal with unauthorised absence, the level of action that is appropriate will depend on the circumstances of each case. For example, a one-off incident where the employee forgets they were supposed to be working a particular shift would normally be treated differently to an employee who goes AWOL for a prolonged period without a good explanation.
