Job abandonment is when the worker is absent from his job without consent/approval, has no intention of returning and does not notify his employer of an intention to quit.

If an employer suspects that a worker may have abandoned the job, the employer must make reasonable attempts to communicate with the worker to find out his whereabouts, learn the reason for his absence and find out if he intends to return to work/direct him to return to work on or before a specific date.

If an employer fails to follow the proper job abandonment procedure, the worker may be able to claim that the employer actually terminated in a manner that was not consistent with the principles of good industrial relations.

Download this Guide to find out the proper job abandonment procedure, and see what the court looks at to determine if there was legitimately a job abandonment or if there was actually an unfair dismissal.