Running a business requires several resources that also includes the workforce. Human resource management is complex, especially when dealing with unauthorized absences, such as workers leaving work premises without permission. Such activities can have significant implications both financially and operationally.

Several problems arise if workers start leaving work premises without permission. The company’s production goals become challenging, which can significantly impact the revenue. Also, such time theft puts undue pressure on other employees who have to take up the slack.

As a manager, handling such unexpected absences from work can be tricky. However, leaving the workplace without permission is misconduct, and you must understand how to handle such behavior. In this article, we will discuss how you can avoid any disruption in production by managing such absences.

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4 ways to manage employees who leave work without permission

1. Talk to your employees about it

Before you conclude, ask the employee why they left early. Leaving work premises without permission only sometimes amounts to time theft. As a manager, you can bring genuine care and concern to the employee facing challenging family circumstances and help them figure out how to balance work and personal life.

Talk to your employees because showing compassion is essential if they are going through some trouble or illness. At the same time, if you find out that the employees left early to have fun, you must let them know that you are strict with such behavior at work so they don’t take advantage of you.

It is necessary to keep the lines of communication open to let employees know what you expect of them and make them realize that you will support their best work.

2. Create a plan and mention it in your policy

Suppose your employees are habitually leaving the workplace without permission despite clear communication about expectations from them. In that case, it’s time to create an attendance policy and mention about it.

Once you have listened to what is going on with your employees and understand the situation, you can frame policies based on the same to offer information to employees and address the issue prompting the early departures. It is crucial to provide information on family leave for accommodation for illness days such that employees are allowed to leave the workplace with permission.

HR managers should work with employees to ensure that the management and workforce are on the same page about leaving work premises without permission. Your employees are a valuable resource, and being flexible with them is reasonable. Still, your plan should be framed keeping in mind that every worker can only take advantage of the company’s attendance policy.

3. Explain the consequences of leaving early

Ultimately, you have to make the hard decision and hand over the consequences if someone isn’t doing their job. Exactly what the consequences of leaving work premises without permission can be will depend on your company and management structure.

In some instances, you can accept a written apology from the workers. At the same time, other scenarios may demand stricter consequences, such as making up for the missed time or taking on some additional tasks. It is essential to mention the consequences worker can face if they repeatedly leave the workplace without permission. This will ensure that your employees are not surprised when they face the consequences after repeatedly violating the policy.

4. Give a warning to employees who leave early

If, despite all your efforts, workers continue leaving the workplace without permission, you have to give them a warning. Chances are that you have already mentioned the consequence clearly in the attendance policy, but it’s also beneficial to create a leaving work premise without a permission warning letter.

The letter should explain to your employees that chronically leaving work early will be met with stern actions, and they must correct their behavior immediately. At this stage, there is no need to put up with their excuses; ensure that you are approachable if the employee has some new information to help you make a better decision.

Here is a template of leaving work premises without permission warning letter that you can use.

Ref: ________

Date: _______

To

(Name of the Employee)

(Designation)

(Department)

Employee Code: ______

Sub.: Leaving early from work – Violation of Company Policy

Dear Mr. / Ms. (First Name of the Employee),

We regret to note that you were repeatedly leaving early from work early from (Date) to (Date) without taking any prior permission, nor have you informed the causes of leaving early.

Our company does not appreciate such unprofessional conduct from its employees. All employees are required to follow the working hour’s guidelines and leave application procedure before going on any leave or leaving early.

You are hereby strongly advised not to repeat such incidents in the future, as this letter serves as the final warning before any severe disciplinary action against you. We are also not deducting any amount from your salary. In case of repetition of such incidents, the company will be forced to terminate your employment.

This letter will be placed on your personnel employment file. Please acknowledge receipt of this letter by signing one copy of the letter as enclosed herewith.

For (Name of the Company),

(Signature)

(Name of the Superior Officer)

(Designation)

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What if your employee still leaves early? Can you fire them?

Leaving early from work without permission is a clear act of miss conduct. You can fire a worker for leaving work premises without consent, without reasonable excuse. If a worker leaves the work premises without permission once or twice, it is appropriate to have a conversation to understand their issue.

If they cannot provide an acceptable reason, you should issue them a leaving work premises without permission warning letter. And if the employee repeats the behavior of leaving the workplace without permission, they should face the consequences. Any further repetition of such behavior can lead to severe penalties such as demotion, suspension without pay, or dismissal.

How Truein can help with it

To effectively identify, address, and solve the issue of employees leaving work premises without permission requires efficient employee tracking.

Truein is a cloud based time and attendance systems that can help companies entirely automate attendance implementation. It is a hardware-less software solution with geofencing and GPS targeting to track employees even at remote sites.

Additionally, it comes with an audit attendance feature that randomly triggers time and attendance checks asking employees to check in at the given location to verify their presence on the premises. Truein also integrates with most payroll software, saving HR resources that can be focused on managing the workforce and improving productivity.

Schedule a free demo today and see how Truein can automate attendance tracking in your organization.

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