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View full libraryThis Unauthorised Absence (AWOL) Policy sets out how [Company] manages situations where an employee does not attend work without prior authorisation or does not follow the organisation's absence reporting procedure. It provides a consistent process for making contact, establishing the reason for absence, recording the situation and taking appropriate action where necessary.
Use this policy to:
If you are reviewing your absence arrangements, these absence and attendance policy templates give you a practical set of policies to establish clear, consistent expectations for employees and managers.
This template brings together the key information, sections and considerations you need to create a clear, comprehensive and professional HR document. Preview the document below.
1 Purpose
1.1 The purpose of this policy is to set out how [Company] will manage unauthorised absence, including situations where an employee does not attend work without prior permission or does not follow the organisation's procedure for reporting an unexpected absence.
1.2 The policy is intended to provide a consistent and fair approach while recognising that an unexplained absence may have a genuine reason and should not automatically be treated as misconduct.
2 Scope
2.1 This policy applies to all employees of [Company].
2.2 Separate arrangements may apply where an absence relates to sickness, family-related leave, time off for dependants, annual leave, compassionate leave or another type of authorised absence.
3 General principles
3.1 What is unauthorised absence?
3.1.1 Unauthorised absence is an absence from work where the employee does not have permission to be absent and has not followed the organisation's required process for reporting an unexpected absence.
3.1.2 Unauthorised absence may include:
3.1.3 The term "AWOL", meaning absent without leave, may be used to describe an unexplained or unauthorised absence. The use of the term does not by itself establish that the employee has committed misconduct.
3.2 Employee responsibility to attend work
3.2.1 Employees are expected to attend work at the times and locations required by their contract, rota or agreed working arrangements.
3.2.2 Employees must obtain permission before taking planned time away from work unless another arrangement applies.
3.3 Reporting unexpected absence
3.3.1 If an employee cannot attend work unexpectedly, they must notify [Company] using the organisation's normal absence reporting procedure.
4 Absence should be reported to: [Manager / Department / Contact]
5 Contact method: [Telephone / Other]
6 Required reporting time: [Time / Before the employee's normal start time]
Where an employee is unable to make contact personally,
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This policy provides employers with a structured approach to managing unauthorised absence, including situations where an employee does not attend work and makes no contact with the organisation. It is designed to help managers respond promptly while avoiding the assumption that an unexplained absence automatically means misconduct.
The policy explains what may constitute unauthorised absence, including failing to attend work without permission, failing to follow the organisation's absence reporting procedure, leaving work without permission or returning late from authorised leave. It also distinguishes between an unexplained absence and an absence where the employee may have a legitimate reason.
The policy sets out practical steps for managers, including checking expected attendance, attempting to contact the employee using the appropriate contact methods and considering whether there may be an immediate welfare concern.
Before treating an absence as misconduct, the organisation should give the employee a reasonable opportunity to explain what happened. The policy covers circumstances such as illness, emergencies, travel disruption, caring responsibilities and other situations that may explain why an employee could not attend or make contact.
Where there is no satisfactory explanation, or where unauthorised absence is repeated or particularly serious, the matter may be dealt with under the organisation's disciplinary procedure. The policy explains that formal disciplinary action should follow a fair process rather than being applied automatically.
The policy provides for appropriate contact, investigation, return-to-work discussions, recording, pay arrangements and formal action where necessary. It also recognises the need to consider disability, mental health, safeguarding or other circumstances that could affect an employee's ability to attend or communicate.
Use these best practice actions, recommended timescales and process stages to understand when and how the Unauthorised absence (AWOL) policy should be used, helping ensure each step is handled consistently and appropriately documented.
Understand the common mistakes to avoid when using this HR template, helping you reduce risk, prevent unnecessary costs and ensure the process is handled correctly.
Unauthorised absence can include failing to attend work without permission, failing to follow the organisation's procedure for reporting unexpected absence, leaving work without permission or returning late from authorised leave. The circumstances should always be considered before deciding how the absence should be treated.
No. An unexplained absence may initially appear to be unauthorised, but the employer should establish what happened and give the employee a reasonable opportunity to explain. If there is a valid reason, the organisation should deal with the absence appropriately rather than automatically treating it as misconduct.
The manager should first check the employee's expected attendance and whether any absence has already been reported. They should then make reasonable attempts to contact the employee, record those attempts and establish whether there may be a welfare concern or legitimate reason for the absence.
Potentially, particularly where unauthorised absence is serious or repeated and there is no satisfactory explanation. However, dismissal should not be automatic. The employer should establish the facts, consider the circumstances and follow a fair disciplinary procedure.
An employer does not normally have to pay an employee for time they did not work because of unauthorised absence. The organisation should follow its contract and policy and ensure any deduction is lawful.
HRDocBox templates are designed specifically for UK employers and combine practical HR processes with relevant employment law and Acas guidance. They provide a structured starting point that can be adapted to the organisation's own absence reporting, contact and disciplinary arrangements.
We could adapt it to our own arrangements and it really helped turn something we had been handling informally into a clearer written arrangement.
The policy gives us a clear framework to work from and is something concrete to refer to when questions comeup. It also helped us tighten up a process that had previously been a little too dependent on individual judgement.
We were able to adapt the policy without affecting its overall structure. It was clear enough to use and straightforward to explain to managers who were not HR experienced.
How this content is developed and reviewed
The Unauthorised absence (AWOL) policy template is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates and supporting information are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing absence and attendance HR processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
Whether you employ 5 people or 50, hrdocbox gives you the structure, documents and expertise needed to manage employees professionally and legally.
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