What to do when an employee goes AWOL
Absent employees cost British businesses millions of pounds each year. In many instances, one-off ‘misdemeanours’ are forgiven, and the cost is simply absorbed. However, when a suspicious absence is prolonged, or repeated on a regular basis, it’s time to take action. Not only is the absent employee costing the business time and money, they’re also impacting the morale of other staff members, and probably taking up an awful lot of management time and energy!
Absent Employees
To deal with an absent employee effectively, you’ll need evidence. If your intention is to dismiss an employee who is proven to have misused company time, you’ll need to prove gross misconduct. Your word against theirs will probably be insufficient, especially if the case goes to an employment tribunal – hard evidence is the only solution, and that’s where we come in.
As specialist commercial and corporate private investigators, we handle dozens of absent employee cases each year. We work for small businesses and major corporates, ensuring they are able to take positive action against employees who are faking sick absence or misusing company time.
Cases in which employees are working elsewhere while telling their employer they are unfit for work are all too common, as are employees who set up their own businesses, often in competition to their employers, during company time while using company resources and intellectual property. Despite more than 20 years’ experience in private investigations, sometimes what we uncover even astonishes us!
How to deal with absent Employees
What our clients tell us is that it’s good to know this sort of behaviour doesn’t have to be tolerated. Good employees and a happy workforce as the backbone to most successful businesses, so it’s refreshing to be able to deal positively with the few ‘bad apples’ which most employers will encounter at some point.
We use various investigative techniques, including surveillance, to gather the evidence required to take action against suspicious employees. This evidence is presented in a clear, concise report.
Because of our expertise and experience, we use methods which ensure the evidence will be admissible in court or a tribunal. This gives our clients options when dealing with employees who have gone AWOL – the approach often depends upon the severity of the case – but it puts them firmly in the driving seat of ensuring their business is protected from such damaging employee behaviour.
For further information about our commercial and corporate private investigation services, please get in touch.
Barely a week goes by without at least one news story about a new online scam. It seems the criminals are always one step ahead, and will try anything to catch out the unwary.
