Deal with an employee who goes ahead with a holiday when annual leave has not been authorised

Key points

  • If an employee is absent on days for which the employer had turned down a request for holiday, the employer should take all reasonable steps to contact the employee to ascertain the reason for the absence before jumping to any conclusions.
  • When the employee returns to work, the employer should hold a meeting with them to discuss the matter before making a decision on whether or not to begin a disciplinary process.
  • The employer will not generally be obliged to pay the employee for any period of unauthorised absence.

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