What happens when one of your domestic staff fails to turn up for work? Do you have a policy in place to cope with the situation in an organised and legal way?
Unauthorised absences from work can be highly disruptive, particularly if you do not have another staff member to step in to fill the gap. However, having said that, most unplanned absences are often due to reasons of family or sickness.
As an employer, you really need to have thought about how you will handle such absences. For example, for how long will you pay your employee when they have been off sick for a period of time (in addition to statutory sick pay)?
If unauthorised absences occur on a regular basis, are you prepared to serve a formal warning if such absences appear to be for less than genuine sickness reasons? If they are genuine, perhaps you should discuss the situation with the employee and see if you can help in any way.
We all hope such issues don’t arise, but they will do so, therefore it makes sense to work out in advance how you will handle things. You should formulate an absence policy and communicate that policy to your employee(s) from the outset.
We recommend taking professional advice before taking any action.