How to Handle a No Call / No Show Employee
Quick Answer: When an employee is a no call / no show, attempt contact immediately, document every attempt, adjust coverage, and apply your written attendance policy consistently. Before issuing formal discipline, assess whether the absence might be protected under FMLA, ADA, or state leave laws. Here's the full step-by-step process.
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It’s 9:15am. An employee was due in at 8:30. No call, no text, no email. You’ve tried their phone. Nothing.
This is one of the most common and most awkward situations in small business HR. And how you handle it matters more than most managers realize, both for the specific situation and for the precedent it sets with the rest of your team. Attendance and job abandonment policies like this are already written into our Small Business Employee Handbook Template.
Here is a clear process for handling no call / no shows professionally, legally, and consistently.
Step 1: Attempt Contact
Before drawing any conclusions, make a genuine effort to reach the employee. Call their mobile phone. Try a secondary contact if you have one. If they have an emergency contact on file and you have real reason for concern about their wellbeing, it is appropriate to attempt that contact as well.
Document every attempt: the time you called, the method, and the outcome. This record matters if the situation escalates.
Give this process a defined window, typically 30–60 minutes from the scheduled start time before you move to the next step. You cannot wait indefinitely. If the employee was present earlier in the day and left without notice, that is a different situation. See our guide on what to do when an employee walks off the job.
Step 2: Notify the Manager and Adjust for Coverage
Once you have made reasonable contact attempts without success, notify the relevant manager (if you are not already the manager) and begin making coverage arrangements. The business has to function. Document who made the coverage decision and how the shift or workload was redistributed. This matters for pay and scheduling records.
Step 3: Apply Your Written Policy
This is where having a written attendance policy becomes critically important. Your policy should define what constitutes a no call / no show, how many occurrences trigger different levels of disciplinary response, and whether two or more consecutive no call / no show days are treated as a voluntary resignation.
The “two consecutive no call / no show = voluntary resignation” provision is common and defensible, but it must be in your written policy before you apply it. A voluntary resignation also triggers questions about final pay and PTO payout. See our guide on what happens to PTO when an employee quits without notice: the same rules apply. You cannot inform an employee they have “voluntarily resigned” based on a policy that was not communicated to them in advance.
If you do not have a written attendance policy, this situation is the clearest possible sign that you need one. You are now making a judgment call with no documented standard to point to, which is the position you want to avoid.
⚠️ This is precisely why most small businesses end up making judgment calls they can’t defend later.
The PTO & Attendance Policy Template gives you the exact language you need for No Call / No Show, escalation steps, and job abandonment. No messing around, no more research. It's already written for you.
Step 4: When the Employee Returns
When the employee does eventually make contact or return to work, do not let the conversation be informal. Have a documented meeting that covers:
• What happened. Get the employee’s explanation in their own words.
• Whether the absence qualifies for any protected leave (FMLA, ADA, state leave laws). This matters and must be assessed before any discipline is issued.
• The disciplinary action being taken per your attendance policy
• What is expected going forward
Document this meeting in writing and have the employee acknowledge it. If the explanation involves a medical situation, a family emergency, or anything that might trigger protected leave obligations, loop in HR before taking any disciplinary action.
Not sure if this should be a write-up or a termination?
The Termination Checklist shows you exactly what to document, what to say, and how to do this correctly either way.
The Protected Leave Issue
This is the most important legal consideration in no call / no show situations and the one most small businesses miss.
The FMLA, the ADA, state family and medical leave laws, and other statutes may protect an employee’s absence even when the employee failed to call in advance. An employee who had a medical emergency, a serious health episode, or a situation involving a family member’s serious illness may have rights that override your attendance policy.
This does not mean you cannot discipline or eventually terminate for attendance, but it does mean you need to ask the right questions before you do. “Was this absence related to a medical condition or a family member’s medical condition?” is a question that must be asked before discipline is issued for a no call / no show that might have a protected reason behind it.
When in doubt, consult HR or employment counsel before issuing formal discipline for an absence that might have a protected basis.
What Your Policy Should Say
A strong attendance policy covers the following no call / no show scenarios explicitly:
• What constitutes a no call / no show, typically failing to notify a manager before the scheduled start time
• The disciplinary escalation path for a first, second, and third occurrence
• The consecutive no call / no show provision and what it triggers
• The process for returning to work after an unexcused absence
• The interaction between your attendance policy and protected leave laws
That last point (the interaction with protected leave) is what most free templates skip and what creates the most legal exposure when small businesses apply their attendance policies without considering whether a protected reason was involved.
If your current policy does not clearly cover these situations, you are exposed.
Consistency Is Everything
However you handle a no call / no show, handle it the same way every time, for every employee. The fastest path to a discrimination claim is applying your attendance policy strictly to some employees and leniently to others. If two employees have the same number of no call / no show occurrences, they should receive the same disciplinary response.
Document every occurrence, every contact attempt, every disciplinary conversation. If a pattern of no call / no show ever becomes the basis for a termination, your documentation is what supports the decision. For a step-by-step guide to handling that conversation, see our guide on how to conduct a termination meeting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a no call / no show? A no call / no show occurs when an employee fails to report to work at their scheduled time and does not notify their manager or employer in advance. Most attendance policies define this specifically, typically as failing to contact a supervisor before the scheduled start time, and establish a disciplinary escalation path for repeated occurrences.
Can I fire an employee for a no call / no show? Yes, in most cases, but proceed carefully. Before terminating for a no call / no show, you need to assess whether the absence might be protected under the FMLA, ADA, or applicable state leave laws. An employee who had a medical emergency may have protected leave rights even if they failed to call in. Ask about the reason for the absence before issuing final discipline.
What does "two no call / no shows equals voluntary resignation" mean? Many attendance policies include a provision stating that two or more consecutive no call / no show days are treated as a voluntary resignation, meaning the employee is considered to have quit. This provision is common and defensible, but it must be in your written policy and communicated to employees before you apply it. You cannot apply a policy the employee was never told about.
Does FMLA protect a no call / no show absence? Potentially, yes. The FMLA may protect an employee's absence even when they failed to provide advance notice, particularly in cases involving a sudden medical emergency or a serious health condition. Before disciplining for a no call / no show, ask whether the absence was related to a medical condition or a qualifying family situation. When in doubt, consult HR or employment counsel before issuing formal discipline.
What should I document when an employee is a no call / no show? Document every contact attempt: the time, method, and outcome. Document how coverage was arranged. When the employee returns, document the return-to-work conversation, the employee's explanation, whether protected leave was assessed, and any disciplinary action taken. If the situation eventually leads to termination, this documentation is what supports the decision.
How many no call / no shows before termination? This depends entirely on your written attendance policy. Most small business policies treat a first occurrence as a verbal warning, a second as a written warning, and a third as grounds for termination, but you can structure it differently as long as it is documented, communicated, and applied consistently to all employees.
Should you text an employee who is a no call no show? Yes, and you should try every contact method available before drawing any conclusions. Call their cell phone first. If there is no answer, a text message is appropriate as a follow-up: something brief and professional like "We expected you at [time] today and have not heard from you. Please contact me as soon as possible." Also attempt any secondary contact number on file. If you have a genuine concern about the employee's safety and not just frustration about the absence, it is appropriate to attempt their emergency contact as well. Regardless, document every attempt with the specific time and method. This record matters if the situation escalates to termination. "I tried once and gave up" is a weaker position than "I called at 8:45am, texted at 9:00am, and called again at 9:30am with no response."
No call no show for medical reasons: does it change anything? It may. This is the most legally significant question in a no call no show situation and the one most managers handle incorrectly. An employee who had a genuine medical emergency (their own or a family member) may have a protected basis for the absence even if they failed to call in advance. The FMLA, the ADA, and many state leave laws can protect absences that were not properly reported if the underlying reason was a qualifying medical condition. This does not mean the absence automatically excused. It means you must ask the right question before issuing discipline: was there a medical reason for this absence? If the employee discloses a medical situation when they return, treat that disclosure seriously before proceeding with any disciplinary action. If you are unsure whether the circumstances trigger protected leave, consult with HR or employment counsel before acting. Disciplining an employee for a no call no show that turns out to be FMLA-qualifying is an FMLA interference violation. The cost of that mistake significantly exceeds the cost of a 10-minute consultation.
Can a no call no show be treated as a voluntary resignation? Yes, but only if your written policy says so explicitly and the policy was communicated to the employee before the situation occurred. The "two consecutive no call no show days equals voluntary resignation" provision is common and defensible. If an employee fails to show up or make contact for two or more consecutive scheduled shifts, many employers treat this as job abandonment, which is effectively a self-initiated resignation. To make this enforceable, three things must be true: 1) the policy must be in writing, 2) it must have been distributed to and acknowledged by the employee, and 3) you must apply it consistently. Treating job abandonment as a voluntary resignation for one employee but not another in similar circumstances creates the kind of inconsistency that produces legal claims. If you do not have this provision in your written attendance policy, do not apply it. Add it to your policy going forward and apply it from that point on.
What if the employee returns with an acceptable excuse? This depends on your policy and the nature of the excuse. "Acceptable" does not mean the same thing to everyone. Acceptable means whatever your written policy defines as acceptable, applied consistently. If the employee had a genuine emergency like a car accident, a medical crisis, or a family member hospitalized, most reasonable employers handle the first occurrence with a documented conversation rather than formal discipline, particularly if the employee notified you as soon as they were able. If the excuse is vague, unverifiable, or part of a pattern, the documented conversation still happens and the formal discipline process applies per your policy. The conversation covers both the absence and the failure to follow your call-in procedure. Both are addressable regardless of the reason for the absence. Document the employee's explanation even if you do not accept it. Having a record of what they told you (and your response) protects you if the situation is later characterized differently.
Is there a difference between "no call no show" and just being late? Yes, and your policy should treat them differently. Tardiness (arriving late without prior notice) is an attendance issue addressed through your standard progressive discipline process. It is documented, addressed, and escalated if it continues. A no call no show is a more serious violation because it combines the attendance failure with a failure to communicate. The employee did not just show up late, they left you without coverage, without information, and without the ability to plan. Most written attendance policies treat a no call no show as a more severe violation than tardiness, often equating a single instance to two or three tardiness occurrences for purposes of the disciplinary escalation. If your written policy does not distinguish between the two, it should. The difference matters both for how you communicate consequences to employees and for how defensible your disciplinary decisions are if they are ever challenged.
What paperwork should you complete after a no call no show? Every no call no show should generate a brief written record, even if no formal discipline is issued. At minimum document: the date and scheduled shift, the time and method of each contact attempt and the outcome, what the employee's explanation was when contact was made or when they returned, and what action was taken. For a first occurrence handled with a verbal conversation, a brief note in the employee's file is sufficient. For a second or subsequent occurrence, a formal written warning using your standard discipline template is appropriate. For a situation escalating toward voluntary resignation or termination, your complete documentation trail is what supports that decision. Consistency in paperwork matters as much as consistency in discipline. If you document no call no show incidents for some employees and not others, the inconsistency itself becomes a problem.
Is it better to hold the return-to-work conversation the same day? Yes, whenever possible. Address a no call no show when the employee returns to work rather than letting time pass. The longer you wait, the more the employee may reasonably conclude that the absence was not a significant concern. The return-to-work conversation is brief and direct. You are not conducting a full disciplinary hearing . You are establishing that the absence was noted, getting the employee's explanation on the record, communicating the policy consequence, and setting the expectation going forward. Ten minutes, documented, done. If the situation involves potential protected leave and you need time to assess before taking disciplinary action, it is appropriate to have the initial conversation. Document the absence, hear the explanation, and consult with HR before issuing formal discipline. Do not skip the initial conversation; just be clear that you will follow up on next steps.
Make This Easy on Yourself Next Time
You should never have to figure this out in the moment.
The PTO & Attendance Policy Template and Employee Handbook Template include:
No Call / No Show definitions
Job abandonment language
Escalation steps
Protected leave callouts
Manager guidance for the return-to-work conversation
Editable Word document. Instant download.
This article is part of the Progressive Discipline hub for small businesses. A complete set of practical guides for managing conduct, attendance, and policy violations with consistency and documentation.
Have questions or want to learn more? Browse our full template library at pragmatichrgroup.com.
