How to deal with an employee who goes ahead with a holiday when annual leave has not been authorised

Author: David Jones

Summary

Click on any of the hyperlinks to go to more detailed guidance below.

• Ensure that any policy on annual leave states that taking unauthorised annual leave constitutes a disciplinary offence and may lead to dismissal.
• Warn the employee of the possible consequences of going on holiday where permission for leave has been refused if you suspect that they intend to do so.
• Make all reasonable attempts to contact the employee and ascertain the reason for the absence before jumping to any conclusions.
• Discuss the matter with the employee on their return before deciding whether to begin disciplinary proceedings.
• Ensure that proper disciplinary procedures are followed before imposing a disciplinary sanction against the employee.
• Ensure that any disciplinary sanction is appropriate.
• Consider having a contractual provision authorising deductions from pay in respect of any unauthorised leave.