Consider the situation where your most important security personnel doesn’t show up for work one day, the day after, or even the following day. After a week, it becomes quite evident that they have given up on their position.
What is job abandonment, and why does it happen?
Job abandonment occurs when an employee unexpectedly leaves their organisation by failing to report for work for a specified period without warning.
Even if the individual may not have legally departed their employment, this is nonetheless seen as a “voluntary resignation.” It is considered that the employee has no intention of returning to work because they have not communicated.
For instance, a worker could cease returning calls and emails, miss several consecutive business days of work without a valid excuse, or remove their personal items from their desk. Or if an employee on paid or unpaid leave fails to report for work for three days in a row after the break is over.
There are several causes for job desertion, including:
- Fear of embarrassing oneself by leaving the job in person
- Obtaining employment with another company
- An emergency involving a family member or oneself
- Job dissatisfaction is brought on by a lack of acknowledgement or a negative work environment.
- Fear of going back to work because of hygiene or health issues (as in the pandemic)
- An employee’s sloppy or negligent behaviour
In other cases, employees may have reasonable justification for keeping their employer in the dark. For instance, if they’re on leave and away from home, they can experience a medical emergency or lose their phone and internet access.
How to proactively prevent job abandonment
Job abandonment is difficult to handle, so one method to mitigate its unfavourable effects is to stop it from happening in the first place. Employee engagement may be increased, and job abandonment can be avoided by having fair policies that are inclusive and keep workers interested, as well as positive workplace culture.
-
Have an accommodating leave of absence policy.
People frequently quit their jobs because they are overworked, dissatisfied with their employment, or just don’t have enough vacation time. Employees can take time off thanks to a generous leave policy that works in conjunction with an open job abandonment policy.
-
Use a flexible schedule.
Allow staff to take up available shifts or exchange shifts with management’s permission so they may fulfil their family, work, and financial obligations. Give staff the tools they need for scheduling and communication on the go, and attempt to respect them as much as possible by implementing flexible scheduling regulations.
-
Make your employment termination policy clear.
It is easy to make employees aware of your leave rules and the repercussions of job desertion by including your job abandonment policy in your employee handbook or outlining it in detail at onboarding. The likelihood that employees will abide by your policies increases as their level of awareness increases.
-
Communicate regularly with employees.
Open and honest communication with employees is necessary for managing job desertion and preventing it from happening. Give staff feedback to keep them engaged on the one hand and allow them to express their concerns freely on the other. This two-pronged strategy will keep your staff motivated and alert you to any obvious problems so you can take immediate action to reduce job departures.
Train your managers on how to manage job abandonment more effectively with Cerely
It is one thing to outline and prepare how your security company will manage job desertion; it is another to implement that strategy. The correct tools are essential for managers and staff to effectively collaborate and prevent job desertion in the workplace. This is extremely doable with the correct workforce management software.
Get in touch with us immediately to learn more about how Cerely can help you deal with job desertion on the front lines.
