Can Leaving Station Without Information Is A Misconduct?

If an officer leaves the station without informing his/her superior, can it be treated as misconduct? Please explain if the officer leaves the station for the following reasons:

1. Off days
2. Casual leaves or self-certified sick leave.

Regards,
Niket Sinha

Dear Niket,

This greatly depends on the reason. If the candidate has sent any emails regarding this after reaching the outstation, that shows professionalism. However, making a call to a senior and informing them before leaving for the outstation for XYZ reason doesn't take much time. If the employee has left due to a medical reason, then they should provide the necessary documents accordingly. Therefore, it is up to the organization how they choose to proceed with this case.

Thank you,
Sejal

Hi Niket,

It is very much a case of misconduct. It is wise for anyone to pass on the info to the concerned person, at least through someone, even if there is an emergency. Reasons aside, if policies support, you can take him off the rolls.

Regards,
Jayesh M

Jayesh,

There have to be relaxing corners so that misconduct could be handled by warnings.

Sejal

Hi Sejal,

I am able to understand. I was just giving an instance, as in, in case one has to consider this as misconduct, very well one can. I hope I am right.

Regards,
Jayesh M

I agree with praveen13ad's opinion.

Before answering this question, one should know/understand "what EXACTLY is misconduct?"; or "what constitutes misconduct?".

Warm regards.

Dear Niket,

If it is mentioned in standing orders or rules and regulations of the company, you can ask for an explanation from the employee. Because in employer-employee relations, this kind of activity creates problems in the future. So, follow the procedure and take some action like a "warning," or even a deduction of wages.

Regarding your question, the employee can go anywhere on off days. However, casual leave has to be informed in advance, and sick leave, if possible, has to be intimated over the telephone or telegram and further medical reports should be produced.

Regards,
Ramnath

The private sector is also concerned about what you do outside the office, especially as it affects your ability to react to an emergency or work-related matters. Private companies expect more than the government that you are available 24x7 for any work they may have. On the other hand, government employees can refuse to come after their work time.

Specifically, in the case of CL or SL, going out of station without informing the company is misconduct unless stated otherwise in the standing orders or terms of employment/HR policies.

Dear Sir,

In my opinion, I think it depends on the situation at the time of leaving. One should at least drop an email and send their resignation.

Thanks,
Dibyendu

Dear Niket,

As for the non-management category, it won't be a problem. However, for the management category starting from Supervisor onwards, they should inform their next superior when they leave their home station. Therefore, as for the Officer...

It is compulsory to inform only, and there is no need to seek permission for off days and weekends. The management will program themselves for any emergency with prior intimation.

Thank you.

[Your Name]

Hi, this is Karthik pursuing a master's degree in Human Resource Management at Gayathri Vidya Parishad, Visakhapatnam. I would like to answer this question.

<answer> It depends on the situation, and here we need to consider some of the policies and procedures of our company. Legislation plays a vital role; if there is a clause of unauthorized absence in the standing orders, as per the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946, which specifies the conditions of employment and all misconducts and misbehaviors. Leaving the station without information is not a big offense, but we need to see the terms and conditions of the standing orders of the company.

Thank you,
Karthik

Dear Sinha,

It is implied that the employer must know the whereabouts of his employee. Absence without permission from headquarters is usually treated as misconduct on the part of the employee. Of course, the clause of permission to leave the station is provided in the Rules of the Government of India and those of the State Governments. Several industrial and commercial organizations also usually make the same provision in their Leave Rules, Standing Orders, or the Handbook of employees.

So, it is better if you see the relevant rules of the concerned organization.

For this purpose, there is no difference whether it is an off day, casual leave, or sick leave.

PS Dhingra
Management & Vigilance Consultant
Dhingra Group of Consultants
New Delhi
dcgroup1962@gmail.com

Dear Niket Sinha,

I would say it is more of an ethical practice to inform your immediate boss about your absence from the town where you are working. Even if it is a day off, you should mention that you will not be in town during your weekly day off. As rightly pointed out by a member, your presence may be required in emergencies, so at least they should know how to reach you.

In our organization, employees are required to provide their address and phone number during planned leave days. As a matter of ethics, employees inform their superiors about their weekly day off. Please do not consider not following ethics as misconduct.

M.V. Kannan

Another important point, among other things, is that organizations, especially in the government sector, have insurance coverage for employees. If, God forbid, some mishap occurs with an employee while they are out of the station, they may not be eligible for insurance if the organization has not been officially informed. Therefore, it is beneficial for the employee to inform the organization before leaving the station.

Regards,
Ashok Iyer

Dear Niket,

Yes, it is misconduct. Any employee who intends to avail leave and be out of the station or workplace/site should inform his immediate superior through any available mode of communication.

Regards,
L. Kumar

Hello everybody,

I am not an HR professional, but I have learned a lot from this site. I believe it can be treated as misconduct if there exists a definite rule in the organization, as suggested by Praveen Kumar. It should also depend on the nature of responsibilities/duties one performs in an organization. If the officer is stuck while out of station, will the ongoing work be seriously hampered? If yes, he definitely has a responsibility to inform seniors beforehand, rule or no rule. I personally shall treat it as misconduct.

Finally, can we see some better English on this site? 'Can' and 'is' in the main question made me flinch.

M. Sarkar

Yes, it, of course, is misconduct. An employee must obtain approval from their superior before leaving the workplace during duty hours. If it is extremely urgent and the latter is not available, for example, in a meeting and unreachable by mobile, the employee could text them, send an email, or convey the message through a colleague. Upon return, they could explain the situation. The flexibility of the manager or work environment will play a role in such scenarios.

Regards,
Salahudheen

Yes, it's an offense because senior positions hold high responsibilities. A lot of work will come to a halt, which will affect the smooth running of the organization. Additionally, a leader is the one whom the team follows. It will impact the team members to conduct misconduct.

Normally, such things are included in the disciplinary rules of the company. If nothing is mentioned, then one of these will have to be done: to inform all the concerned that he will be on leave from [start date] to [end date] and in cases of emergency where one has to be contacted. Also, inform about whom to contact during his absence.

Normally, in a manufacturing company, an alternative arrangement is made before anyone goes on leave. This will be true in other industries as well, including software.

Dr. Nagaraj

For a responsible employee, you can't leave your station without telling your superior. It's a pure misconduct and must be dealt with accordingly.

Dear Niket,

I am finding it difficult to restrain my laughter at the query posted by you. A gentleman, in any case, whether he or she is an officer or subordinate, absence without prior information is a grave misconduct. It is not acceptable except in cases of unforeseen incidents like an accident or nature's call. It is very childish to mention that loose motion bouts have prompted one to remain absent. In any organization, there is a system of communication, and today's world is only flourishing because of advancements in the communication system.

Leaving a station without information is indeed misconduct.

RP Singh

Hi all,

Misconduct is not something that can change according to people's minds. It should be clearly written down. For non-management employees/workers, the same is clearly mentioned in Standing Orders, and for management employees, there are the Conduct Discipline and Appeal rules.

Any act on the part of the employee as mentioned in the above rules is misconduct and is likely to attract a charge sheet, and the employee shall undergo disciplinary action. He can explain the reasons for leaving the town during the inquiry proceedings. However, if the same is not mentioned in these books, it cannot be considered misconduct, and there can be no action against such employees. We have had a lot of court cases in this regard whereby courts have reinstated terminated employees because the charged misconduct was not present in the CDA rules. Courts have said that those were cases of victimization of the employee.

Moreover, it is the professionalism on the part of the organization to mention what is expected of an employee and what is not. If the organization has failed to convey to its employees that some action is misconduct, why should it punish the poor employee for that.

One should remember that leave is not a matter of right. You need to take prior permission from the concerned superior before leaving the station. Otherwise, convey the message over the phone if meeting in person is not possible due to urgency. As per the company policy, leaving without permission amounts to misconduct and non-compliance with any company standing orders. Disciplinary action may be initiated against the employee.

N. V. R. Naidu

If it is a sick leave, it may be considered, but other than that, disciplinary action should be taken against them.

Dear All,

In my opinion, it is misconduct, but it definitely depends on the nature of work. We can say that in a manufacturing unit, it is a significant misconduct. Elsewhere, it may not be as severe, but every person should inform the concerned individual about it. This way, no one else will suffer.

Regards,
Bhavesh Upadhyay

He is sick and therefore had to suddenly leave town without informing.

I hope that was a joke and not your company's HR policy.