First published: April 12th 2022
Last updated: July 15th 2023

Unauthorised absence from work is a frustrating HR issue for business owners.

One employee’s unauthorised absence has knock on effects for colleagues, managers and even your bottom line.

If one of your employees doesn’t turn up for work, your top priority is to minimise the impact of the absence on operations.

Here we take a look at how small business owners can best manage this tricky HR issue.

What is an unauthorised absence?

The term ‘unauthorised absence’ has no formal legal definition. An unauthorised absence (absence without leave or AWOL if you prefer military jargon!) is when an employee fails to turn up for work in any of the following circumstances:

• without providing a valid reason for the absence
• without the employer’s prior authorisation
• without notifying their employer of their absence, or
• where there is no contractual or statutory right entitling the employee to be absent.

How to deal with unauthorised absence from work

The best way to handle all types of absence is to ensure you have a policy put down in writing and that it’s regularly communicated to all staff. This helps ensure that you manage unauthorised absences consistently across your entire business.

In practice, if an employee is absent from work without your prior permission, try to contact them to find out the reason they’re absent. If the employee has no track record of unexplained absences, it may indicate there’s some sort of problem.

You can make reasonable efforts to contact the employee via their mobile or landline and leave a voicemail message where possible. If you’re still unable to make contact with the employee over an extended timeframe, you might need to phone their emergency contact number too.

If the absence continues and remains unexplained, you could contact the employee in writing to express your concern and to ask them to contact you at the earliest possible opportunity. You should keep a record of all attempts (whether in writing or not) to contact the employee.

Return to work meeting

When your employee returns to work following an unauthorised absence, arrange a meeting with them right away. How you deal with an unauthorised absence will depend on what explanation the employee provides for their absence and their failure to notify you.

The bottom line is that an unauthorised absence is a disciplinary offence. So, it's up to you to deal with it in whatever manner you feel is best suited to the situation.

You should always consider each incidence of unauthorised absence on its facts. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to take a more lenient and compassionate approach. Any disciplinary action you take must be proportionate and appropriate to the misconduct committed by the employee.

Consequences of unauthorised absence from work

Typically, AWOL is included on a non-exhaustive list of examples of misconduct offences in an employee handbook. If the employee has no valid explanation for their absence, you need to carefully consider the consequences they should face.

If you suspect the employee has deliberately lied to you to take a period of unauthorised leave, you may wish to proceed with an investigation and depending on the outcome of the investigation, take formal disciplinary action.

The value of an unauthorised absence policy

If you don’t already have one, it’s a good idea to have an unauthorised absence policy in your employee handbook to ensure you take a consistent approach to handling each case of unauthorised absence.

As with all HR matters, keep an open mind and consider the individual circumstances of each case before making a decision.

For example, if an unauthorised absence is due to adverse weather conditions, stop and consider how reasonable it was to expect the employee to get to work before deciding what action, if any, you should take.

Expert HR assistance for managing unauthorised absence

Unauthorised absences are difficult HR scenarios to deal with.

It’s important not to overreact however and to ensure you handle each case on its own facts.

For help with this or any other HR issue affecting your business, speak with one of our HR experts today on 1800 719 216