Unexplained absence letters

Three letters for an employee who has stopped attending work without explanation: a welfare request to make contact, a final request, and a termination letter if you hear nothing.

Figures checked 5 November 2026. Free to use, no sign-in.

Which letter

Stage

Letter

Absence

Absence letter: request to contact

Check before you use it

  • Send it by every channel you hold: email, text, post to the last known address. Keep copies and a log of calls and messages.
  • Give a reasonable time to respond. Allow longer if the employee may be unwell, overseas, or in crisis, and consider contacting their emergency contact about their welfare.
  • Check your award, enterprise agreement and policies for any clause about unexplained absence, and follow it.

[Employer name]

[Date of letter]

Private and confidential [Employee name] [Position]

Dear [Employee first name],

Absence from work: please contact us

Our records show that you have not attended work since [last day attended], and we have not received any information from you about why you are away.

We are concerned for your wellbeing. If you are unwell, injured, or something has happened that has made it difficult to get in touch, please let us know so we can support you.

Please contact [contact name and phone or email] by [date] to tell us why you have been absent and when you expect to return. If your absence is because of illness or injury, please provide a medical certificate or statutory declaration.

If we do not hear from you, we will write to you again. Your continued absence without explanation may lead us to consider whether your employment should continue, but no decision has been made.

Yours sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your position]

[Employer name]

Highlighted text in [brackets] still needs your input. General information, not legal advice.

How this works

Each letter records the facts and asks the employee to make contact. None of them says the employee has abandoned their job: that is a conclusion you have not established, and an employee who was unwell or in crisis may have a good reason for not being in touch.

  • Letter 1 checks on their welfare and asks them to contact you by a date.
  • Letter 2 refers to the first letter and says that if you do not hear from them you may decide to end their employment.
  • Letter 3 confirms the decision, with notice under s 117 of the Fair Work Act paid in lieu, and invites them to tell you about anything you do not know.

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Legal basis

Checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us.

Questions

Does employment end automatically if someone stops coming to work?

No. Employment continues until someone ends it. If the employee does not resign, you have to make and communicate a decision, and that decision is a dismissal that can be challenged at the Fair Work Commission. So treat it as a process, not an event.

How long should I wait before ending the employment?

There is no fixed period in the Fair Work Act. Make several attempts to contact the employee by different channels, send at least two letters with clear deadlines, and allow longer where the person may be unwell or dealing with an emergency.

What if the employee turns out to have been sick?

You must not dismiss an employee because of a temporary absence for illness or injury where they have provided a medical certificate or statutory declaration within 24 hours, or a longer period that is reasonable in the circumstances. That protection generally runs out after 3 months of absence unless they are on paid personal leave.

Do I have to pay notice?

If you end the employment, notice under the National Employment Standards applies unless the dismissal is for serious misconduct. The termination letter here pays notice in lieu, which avoids arguing about whether an unexplained absence was serious misconduct.

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Questions the calculator can’t answer?

Workfloor answers pay, award, leave and termination questions for your team, with the Fair Work Act section or award clause behind each answer.

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