No Call, No Show: What Employers Should Do

Not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. General information; laws vary by state. Terms of use

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The short answer

When an employee is a no call, no show, try to reach them the same day, record the shift missed and every contact attempt, and check your attendance policy. When they return, hear the reason before deciding on discipline. If you cannot reach them for the number of shifts your policy sets, send a job abandonment letter with a date to respond, then follow your state's final-pay rule.

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Attendance policySet the call-in rule and the job abandonment threshold in writingStep 4 Job abandonment letterDates missed, contact attempts, a date to respondStep 7 · Most used

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What to do the day an employee does not show up or call, how to record it, when repeated absence becomes job abandonment under your policy, and your state's final-pay rule with its official source.

Steps

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Try to reach them the same dayCall, text and email, and try the emergency contact if you have one. The first question is whether they are safe. Write down each attempt with the time and the channel.
Cover the shiftArrange cover first, then deal with the record. Note who covered and for how long.
Record the absenceDate, scheduled shift, what the schedule and time records show, and each attempt to reach the employee. Facts only; no guesses about the reason.
Check your attendance policyWhat your written policy says about reporting absences, and how many consecutive no-shows it treats as job abandonment. Apply it the same way you have applied it to others.
When they come back, hear the reasonA hospital stay, a family emergency or a medical condition changes what comes next. If the absence may involve medical leave or a disability, pause discipline and check your obligations before you act.
Document the outcomeIf there was no valid reason, a write-up or written warning records the absence, the policy and what is expected next time.
If you still cannot reach themSend a job abandonment letter to their last known address and email: the dates missed, your attempts to reach them, and a date by which to contact you.
Close out the employmentIf they do not respond by that date, confirm the end of employment in writing, pay the final paycheck on the date your state requires and ask for company property back.

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What to say

When the employee returns or answers, open with the facts and a question, not a verdict. The reason they give decides the next step.

Check in“We could not reach you on [date] and were concerned. Are you all right?”

Facts“You were scheduled for [shift] on [date] and we did not hear from you. We called at [times] and texted.”

Ask“Can you tell me what happened, and why we did not hear from you?”

Policy“Our attendance policy asks you to call [person] before your shift if you cannot come in. That did not happen here.”

Next step“I am going to record this as [a no-call, no-show / an excused absence] and here is what I expect going forward.”

What to leave out

Deciding on discipline before you have heard the reason
Asking for medical details beyond what you need to know the absence was for a medical reason
Treating this employee differently from others with the same record
Posting about the absence to the team or in a group chat

5 common mistakes

Assuming the employee quit after one missed shift. Unless your written policy says otherwise, a single no-show is usually handled as an attendance issue, not a resignation. Try to reach the person and record the attempts first.
Disciplining an absence that was protected leave. An absence for a serious health condition can fall under leave rules. The Department of Labor's FMLA page describes unpaid, job-protected leave for eligible employees of covered employers for qualifying family and medical reasons. Check before you act if the reason is medical.
No record of the contact attempts. If you later end the employment for job abandonment, the dated list of calls, texts and emails is what shows you tried to reach the employee.
An unwritten no-show rule. If the number of no-shows that counts as job abandonment only exists in a manager's head, it is hard to apply consistently. Put it in the attendance policy.
Holding the final paycheck. A no-show does not pause final-pay rules. The Department of Labor's last paycheck page says some states may require immediate payment. Pick your state on this page to see what we have verified.

Rules that matter in your state

Final paycheck after a terminationChoose your stateRules with official sources

Choose your state above to see the rule we have verified, or check it with your state labor office.

Report an error

At-will employment and its exceptionsChoose your stateRules with official sources

Choose your state above to see the rule we have verified, or check it with your state labor office.

Report an error

Final paycheck after a termination. When wages are due if you end the employment after a no-show.
At-will employment and its exceptions. Whether employment can end without a stated reason in your state, and the exceptions that apply.

Every state's rule, side by side, is in the state rulebooks.

Questions people ask

What is a no call, no show?

It is when an employee misses a scheduled shift without calling in or otherwise telling the employer beforehand. Most attendance policies treat it more seriously than an absence that was reported in advance.

How many no call no shows before termination?

There is no single federal number. Your attendance policy sets it, and many policies name a number of consecutive no-shows after which the employer treats the job as abandoned. Whatever the number, apply it consistently and record each shift and contact attempt.

What is job abandonment?

Job abandonment is when an employee stops coming to work and does not contact the employer, so the employer concludes the employee has left the job. Employers usually define it in the attendance policy by a number of consecutive unreported absences, and confirm it with a letter that gives the employee a date to respond.

How many days of no call no show is job abandonment?

It is set by your own policy, not by a federal rule. Write the number in your attendance policy, and send a job abandonment letter with a response date before you close out the employment.

Can you fire an employee for a no call, no show?

In most states employment is at will by default, with exceptions that vary by state (pick your state on this page). The Department of Labor's termination page notes that where the reason is not discrimination or whistleblower retaliation, a termination is generally governed by any contract between employer and employee. Check the reason for the absence first.

Is a no call, no show considered quitting?

Not automatically. Your policy may treat several consecutive unreported absences as a voluntary resignation, and states can view it differently for final pay and unemployment. The Department of Labor notes that each state runs its own unemployment insurance program, so eligibility is decided by the state.

What should a no call no show policy say?

Who to call and by when if you cannot come in, what counts as a no call, no show, what happens after the first one, how many consecutive no-shows count as job abandonment, and how the employer will try to reach the employee. The attendance policy template linked on this page has that wording.

Sources (6)

Employee no call, no show: what to do

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Steps

Questions people ask

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