One of the most frustrating employment situations is job abandonment, in which an employee doesn't show up for work. Job abandonment is considered a form of voluntary resignation and, as such, employees abandoning their jobs have many of the same rights as those who formally resign from their employment. I am a college student who recently picked up a job delivering pizza's, it was hell. As with most just cause arguments, the lines may be blurry. It may occur when an employee repeatedly fails to show up for scheduled shifts, walks away in the middle of a shift, or fails to return to work from a break. I wouldn't get off work until 5:30am and had an 8am class every morning. For an abandonment of employment to arise, the employee must have shown a clear intention to no longer be bound by the terms of the contract of employment.
Job abandonment is when an employee has no plans to return to work but fails to notify supervisors of a resignation. How bad is Job Abandonment? The most common reasons job abandonment occurs is due to the employee being too embarrassed or afraid to resign in person, receiving a better offer elsewhere, or being unable to meet job requirements. The most obvious way in which this can occur is by a walk-out, so long as it is made clear – for example, by the employee’s parting words – that he or she is leaving permanently. Your company has likely outlined the consequences of this action, but in most businesses, the traditional ruling is termination after three days of "no-call no-show" action, unless the employee can prove extenuating circumstances. Another reason job abandonment and voluntary termination of employment occurs is when an employee is unaware of the company's absenteeism policy. In order for an employer to terminate an employee for job abandonment, which is considered termination for just cause, the employee’s intention to abandon their position must be made clear. Assuming that an employee has abandoned the job can garner legal consequences if it actually turns out that the employee had a legitimate reason for not showing up or contacting the workplace, however.