How To Avoid Being Ghosted By An Employee On Leave
By Dolly Clabault
When you can’t reach an employee who is out on leave, despite your best attempts, you may be a victim of ghosting.
Ghosting involves suddenly ending all communication with someone. An employee who is on leave may ghost their employer, intentionally or unintentionally.
When employees are on leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), their lives have, in some fashion, taken a bit of a turn. They might not be thinking about work as usual. They might even be dealing with situations where they are physically unable to respond to their employer.
If employees on FMLA leave stop communicating and don’t respond to messages, employers can take some careful steps while staying compliant with the FMLA.
Four steps to dealing with ghosting
To make it easier to stay in touch with employees who are on leave and deal with employees won’t respond:
- Prepare: Before employees go on leave, talk to the employee about what to expect in the way of communication. This isn’t always possible, as the need for leave can come up suddenly. Having a policy can help, but when things go sideways, be understanding. Employees might not be thinking about workplace rules.
- Try different methods: Employers should try contacting employees using various forms of communication, such as calls, texts, emails, regular mail, and even registered mail. If employers have a reason to believe an employee could be dealing with a medical issue or emergency, they might reach out to the employee’s emergency contact. Employers should document all communication attempts.
It's important to be patient. Remember that the “H” in HR stands for “human.” Life throws curveballs, and having someone in their workplace corner can help employees return to work and help employers avoid the risk of an FMLA interference claim.
- Review the “no-call, no-show” policy: If all communication attempts are unsuccessful, and the employee has used up all available protected leave, it may be time to review the no-call, no-show, and/or attendance policies. These often indicate when employers might consider an employee’s absence as a voluntary resignation. Employers might need to make exceptions to the policy in the event they find out an employee is dealing with a medical issue.
- Potential termination: If employers learn that there’s no reason justifying an employee’s ghosting activities after taking the appropriate, well-documented steps, they may begin moving toward termination.
Employers must consider all the facts involved in each situation. The devil is in the details, and each situation must be handled based on the specifics of that case.
Keep communication lines open
Once an effective communication method has been identified with an employee, don’t stop there. Keep the lines of communication open.
Good communication can improve overall employee relations. In turn, this can help improve a company’s image, strengthen hiring and retention goals, and help create a work environment that no one wants to ghost.
This post is locked to comments.
