In today’s busy and fast-moving world, all the actions taken have an equal and opposite reaction and action. It is very important to have the right lifestyle and health in this fast-moving world, because no one waits for you when you are weak or in need of help. As we will be reading and knowing what AWOL stands for, and what it is about. You will know how important it is to have a disciplined approach towards everything.
AWOL stands for Absence Without Leave. This means that the employee has taken leave from the office or work without any prior notice or intimation. There can be various genuine and non-genuine reasons behind an employee taking these leaves without prior notice. However, some employees do this on purpose, showing extreme levels of unprofessionalism, which leads to warnings from the top management and then eventually getting laid off or, in other words, being fired from their job roles and responsibilities.
Let’s read further into gaining impressive and knowledgeable insights into AWOL and its implications across the various fields, and why getting a clear understanding of this term is very important for maintaining the discipline and responsibility of the organisation.
What is Absent Without Leave (AWOL)?
Absent Without Leave is explained as a term when an employee is on leave and has not come to the office without informing anyone and without any prior authorisation or a valid reason. This leave taken by the employee is a serious breach of conduct in the workplace. This can lead to consequences in disciplinary actions, including potential termination of employment.
Below is a more detailed explanation of the terms and conditions of AWOL.
Unauthorised Absence: AWOL shows an employee’s leave taken without any prior notice to the top management or the immediate reporting boss. These leaves are taken without any approval or proper reasoning from the top management.
Violation of Policy: This is a breach of company policy regarding the attendance and leave procedures.
Potential Consequences: When an employee is a regular defaulter or AWOL despite the regular warnings, salary deduction or any other step taken by the employer, then the last step is terminating the employee. However, if the employee has done it for the first time or there was some actual emergency, then the actions taken by the employer can include warnings, pay deduction on that particular leave, etc.
Disruptive Impact: When an employee goes AWOL, it not only impacts their professional image but also affects the team they are working with. When one of the employee is absent without any prior notice, then their part of the work has to be done by the whole team in parts, which causes irritation and overburdening of tasks.
Importance of Communication: The employees and the employer need to have clear communication regarding the company policies of leave and what the procedure is to apply for leave if needed, and what the procedure is to be followed when the employee faces unforeseen situations in their family. This is done to avoid the situation and consequences of AWOL.
What Does AWOL Mean in the Workplace?
In a company or a business, AWOL stands for Absent Without Leave. This means that the employee is on leave without informing anyone, including their immediate reporting boss or their top management. This leave taken by them is not informed to them and not approved by their seniors. This unauthorised absence can cause disruptions in work, impact team morale and, potentially, lead to disciplinary action, which also includes termination, depending on the number of times the employee has been seen doing this.
Below is a more detailed explanation of what AWOL means for the workplace.
Unauthorised Absence: AWOL is more than just being absent without informing anyone else and without following any procedure which is followed by the company in case of leaves and absenteeism.
Disciplinary Action: All companies, or let’s say most of the employers, have a policy which is specifically designed to address the situation of AWOL. It also has a mention of the consequences that are made effective when an employee has surpassed all levels of warnings and has been given enough chances to improve their behaviour and mistakes.
Impact on Workplace: AWOL not only affects an individual and their career reputation, but it also impacts their team members negatively. It impacts their team negatively because when an employee is AWOL, their part of the work is to be done by the rest of the team members present, and this causes irritation, burnout and overburdening on the team.
Example of AWOL: Instances of AWOL do not only include the unauthorised leave taken by the employee, but also include actions like taking an early leave without informing anyone, or taking leave without proper authorisation and approval.
Common Reasons Employees Go AWOL
Employees go AWOL for various reasons. These reasons include personal or professional reasons. Personal Reasons include family emergencies, illness, transportation issues, etc. Professional Reasons include workplace harassment, burnout or stress, dissatisfaction, fear of confrontation, etc. Let’s read in detail about the common reasons for employees going AWOL.
Here is a detailed breakdown:
- External Factors:
- Family Emergencies:
Family Emergencies include reasons like family illness, death in the family, childcare problems, which are necessary or an unforeseen situation that requires the employee to take an unscheduled absence.
- Transportation Issues:
This issue can include car trouble, public transportation delays, accidents, etc can prevent the employee from coming on time or getting to work.
- Illness:
Illness is a term that can be related to physical or mental illness. Falling sick due to any reason, be it fever, stomach upset, ladies suffering from Period cramps, et,c can never be predicted early;r, therefore, the employee taking uninformed leaves.
- Workplace-Related Factors:
- Burnout and Stress:
Overburdening workload, poor balance of work-life balance or a toxic work environment can lead to the employee feeling burned out and a desire may arise to escape or take a break from work.
- Dissatisfaction and Disengagement:
There can be instances when the employees are not happy with their employers or their jobs, or even their office environment and work culture, leading to the employee escaping work or opting for AWOL.
- Fear of Confrontation:
This happens when the employee knows that they will be confronted by the manager or their top management regarding work performance and their commitments. This is also a very good reason for the employee to take AWOL or be on unauthorised leave.
- Job Hunting:
When some employees want to switch to another company for a better post and a higher salary than their current job, they make use of the unscheduled leaves and go for interviews or work on their resumes.
- Lack of Understanding or Miscommunication:
When there is no clear communication between the employer and the newly hired employee regarding the leave policies of the company, it leads to the emergence of situations like AWOL.
- Harassment or Bullying:
Workplace harassment, irrespective of gender, can also be a major factor in employees avoiding coming to the office and resuming work, again leading to situations like AWOL.
- Poor Leadership:
Poor leadership or ineffective leadership can also lead to the employee facing issues at the workplace, negative work culture being passed on and faced by the employee, therefore leading to the employee going AWOL.
- Other Factors:
- Alcohol or Drug Issues:
Use of drugs and substance abuse can also contribute to the employee being irresponsible towards their work and deadlines, resulting in missed deadlines and AWOL.
- Financial Problems:
When an employee faces financial problems at home, it can lead them to not focus on their work and be regularly absent from the office, again giving rise to a situation like AWOL.
- Lack of Support:
Employees who feel less supported and heard at the workplace tend to escape their responsibilities. The employees who feel that their manager is favouring a particular employee more and providing them with necessary resources and opportunities more may also avoid coming to the office, leading to AWOL.
- Consequences of AWOL:
It is very important and necessary for the employees to remember and know about the policy regarding leaves and AWOL situations in the company. AWOL is a very serious issue with the potential consequences, which include disciplinary action, termination of employment and difficulty in searching and getting hired for jobs in the future. Whenever there is a new joinee in the company, it is the responsibility of the employer to have a clear and transparent communication with them regarding the leave and AWOL policies.
How to Deal With AWOL in an Organisation
There is a specific method of dealing with AWOL in every organisation. Though the method is different to deal with AWOL, the consequences are the same. To deal with AWOL, the first step taken by any company is to contact the employee, follow your company’s absence policy and document each detail. In case the employee returns from the leave, the managers can conduct a return to work meeting and in case the employee does not return and also does not provide a proper reasoning, then the top managemen,t along with the manag, er can provide a valid reason and initiate disciplinary actions by the company policy.
Below is a detailed explanation of each step of dealing with AWOL:
- Immediate Action:
- Attempt Contact:
The first step that needs to be taken by the manager is to establish immediate contact with the employee via phone call, email and any other available mode of communication to know and understand the reason behind the employee being absent.
- Follow Company Policy:
After knowing the reason for the employee’s absence, the manager can follow the organisation’s absence policy and procedure to outline the handling of AWOL situations.
- Document Everything:
The manager is supposed to document all the small details of the communication that took place between them and the concerned employee. The details that need to be recorded are those of communication attempts, responses and any action taken, which includes dates, times and methods used.
- If the Employee Returns:
- Return to Work Meeting:
Once the employee has come back to the office after the leave he has taken, then conduct a meeting and discuss the reason behind them being absence for so many days without any prior notice and also address the concerns and make clear and transparent communication about the future expectations and future attendance.
- Offer Support:
While conducting a meeting with the employee and the top management members, if the employee expresses concerns about their family issues, then support them and offer them Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) or options for having flexible work arrangements.
- If the Employee Does Not Return or Provide a Valid Reason:
- Initiate Disciplinary Action:
If the employee does not return to work or is not successful in providing the office with a valid reason for being absent, then as a manager, you can move ahead with initiating disciplinary issues and follow the company’s policies.
- Consider Legal Advice:
If the employee is absent for a long time or has a sensitive reason behind the absence, then take advice from your HR department and consult the legal professionals to completely avoid having any legal issues.
- Key Considerations:
- Clear Communications:
Always make sure that the employees, whether old or new, are well informed about the leaves and the leave policies of the company.
- Fair and Consistent Application:
The policies regarding leaves and the application of leaves should be fair for all employees, regardless of their positions and rankings in the company.
- Proactive Approach:
To avoid the situations of AWOL, as managers, you can implement measures or go for an approach where the employee can handle both their personal and professional life. For them to handle both their personal life and work life together, the manager can provide support by offering employee recognition programs, flexible work arrangements and a positive work environment.
- Focus on Prevention:
Before taking any action against the employee, make sure that you get to know their reasons for being absent. If there is any issue, whether personal or professional, which is causing a hindrance to the employee’s performance, then address those issues and try to support them by providing help.
With the companies following the above methods and steps, they will help the employees have more faith and trust in the system and also help in promoting a positive and productive work environment.
How Can HR Prevent AWOL Incidents?
The HR can prevent and avoid AWOL incidents and situations by establishing clear leave policies and improving communication, and offering support to the employees. This also includes clarifying and mentioning the AWOL procedures for requesting and reporting leave, and addressing the potential issues, such as mental health concerns and work-life balance challenges.
Here is a more detailed explanation of each step of prevention:
- Clear Policies and Communication:
- Define AWOL:
It is the responsibility of the HR manager to mention and state all the procedures, consequences and the legal actions which are stated in the Labour Law clearly and also mentioned as part of the company’s leave and attendance policies.
- Communicate Policies:
It is very important to create awareness about the leaves and AWOL policies to the new joiners right at the time of joining and onboarding, so that they are well informed about the information.
- Establish Reporting Procedures:
The HR should make a clear mention of the procedure to be followed to apply for leave and report leaves, which also includes the procedure or the hierarchy of the seniors to be informed and request approvals from them.
- Disciplinary Actions:
The HR executives should mention very clearly the consequences that will follow if AWOL situations arise, and all the potential disciplinary actions which will be taken against the employee.
- Automated Attendance:
For HR to effectively know about the attendance and leave of employees, they can adapt to automated functions and software that help them in tracking the leaves and attendance of employees and also send alerts to employees for irregularities in attendance.
- Employee Support and Engagement:
- Regular Check-ins:
It is the responsibility of HR to encourage the managers and the team leaders to conduct regular check-ins or meetings with their respective teams and understand any potential issues that might lead to AWOL.
- Flexible Leave:
The HR of the company should have provisions for providing flexible leaves to the employees in cases of genuine issues like family issues and emergencies, or personal needs.
- Employee Well-being:
Always ensure that the employees also feel appreciated and seen by addressing their grievances and also conducting employee well-being workshops on mental health or telehealth services.
- Open Communication:
As an HR always make sure that you promote an environment which is free to have communications regarding the issues they face at the office.
- Address Underlying Issues:
Before taking any action against the employee in regards to the AWOL situation, make sure that you investigate the matter properly and know the reason behind the employee being absence. Whatever the reason is, listen to them and provide help and support.
- Managing AWOL Incidents:
- Document Incidents:
As an HR professional, it is your responsibility to maintain detailed records regarding the evidence and instances of tardiness or absence of the employee. This storing of a collection of information includes the recording of phone call attempts and the recording of the phone call.
- Investigate and Address:
When an employee is on the verge of AWOL or is showing clear signs of going AWOL, contact them and their emergency contacts to let them know.
- Consider Circumstances:
Make sure that you consider situations and circumstances based on the reasoning given by the employee. Consider the potential mitigating factors like illness, family emergencies and other unforeseen circumstances.
- Disciplinary Action:
If the HR finds that the reason provided by the employee is not valid or genuine, then they can take disciplinary action against the employee, which is based on their company’s leave and attendance policy.
To avoid the situation of AWOL, the HR of the company can make sure to address grievances and challenges to promote a positive and productive work environment.
Conclusion
AWOL is defined as the term which is used when the employee takes leave which are nnoticeto the manager with prior notice. AWOL means Absent Without Leave. The reason behind the employee being on AWOL can be related to their issues, like family issues or personal health issues, while there can be professional reasons, to means that the employees are not happy with their managers, work environment or the work culture of the company. The HR should address the employee’s issues and try to resolve their grievances by providing the necessary employee aid program or giving them the option of having a flexible work schedule. To avoid the situation of AWOL, the employees need to be well informed about the company’s attendance and leave policies.
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