What is Job Abandonment?

Every business owner has had experience of an employee quitting. And this can be rather disappointing, especially when the employee was someone who was particularly talented. But in normal circumstances, as frustrating as employee resignation can be, business owners can usually take solace in the fact that their employee made the effort to show respect and give due notice of their decision to move on.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, employees simply disappear — leaving business owners scrambling to keep things running smoothly. This unfortunate occurrence is known as job abandonment.

Why does job abandonment occur? In some cases, the explanation could be as simple as embarrassment from the employee. Oftentimes, however, the explanation is a bit more nefarious. For example, perhaps the employee stole from the company — or perhaps they are being convicted of an unrelated crime. In some cases, employees move for personal reasons without giving notice. And occasionally, abandonment is related to uncontrollable factors such as illness or a family emergency.

Your responsibilities as a business owner. Your instinctual reaction to job abandonment – for reasons both logical and emotional – might be to immediately terminate the employee. Legally and professionally, however, this is not the best strategy. No matter why your employee left, you have certain responsibilities, such as paying their final paycheck. And if your employee disappeared due to reasons such as illness or injury, then firing them could be a violation of their rights. This is why patience and due process are musts.

Preventing job abandonment. Oftentimes, an employee who flat-out abandons their job has personal of their own. All the same, there are a few steps you can take to help prevent and/or reduce occurrences of job abandonment. Boosting employee morale, providing a quality salary and benefits, promoting positive company culture, and performing background checks before hiring are all worthwhile strategies.

For more information on preventing and responding to job abandonment, visit Precise Payroll online today.