No Call No Show Warning Letter - Free UK Template + What to Do Next
When an employee doesn't show up and doesn't call, you need to act fast and document correctly. Free UK warning letter template and step-by-step process to protect yourself from tribunal risk.
Leon Mclean
Co-founder, Birchlow · Last reviewed June 2026
A note on UK law before you follow any US advice
Most search results on this topic are written for American employers. In the UK, the rules are different. Even if an employee simply does not turn up and does not contact you, you cannot dismiss them without following a fair disciplinary process. Skipping steps — even when the absence is clearly unacceptable — creates tribunal risk. The letter below is step one of that process, not a substitute for it.
An employee who does not show up for work and does not call in is one of the most disruptive situations a small business owner faces - particularly in trades, where you may have a job booked and a crew that cannot start without them. This guide tells you exactly what to do, in the right order, what your legal options are.
Step one: attempt to make contact immediately
Your first action is not disciplinary. It is practical. Call the employee. If they do not answer, send a text message and an email. Try their emergency contact if you have one. Document every attempt - time, method, outcome.
There are legitimate reasons an employee might not show up: a medical emergency, a family crisis, a mental health episode. You do not know yet. Your attempts to contact them are both a reasonable management step and evidence that you acted responsibly if the situation escalates.
Do this on day one. Do not wait.
Step two: send a formal written notice
If you have had no contact after 24 to 48 hours, send a letter or email to the employee's home address and personal email. State that they have failed to attend work without authorisation, that you have attempted to contact them, that you require them to contact you by a specific date and time. Keep the tone factual, not threatening.
Keep a copy of everything you send. If the matter ends in a tribunal claim, your documented attempts to contact the employee are evidence of a fair process.
Step three: decide whether to suspend or continue waiting
If the employee has been absent for several days with no contact, you have a decision to make. For most small businesses, the right move is to write again - formally - setting a final deadline for contact and stating that failure to respond may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
Do not simply dismiss at this stage. Even prolonged unauthorised absence without contact requires a disciplinary process before termination.
Click here if you need to know how to suspend an employee.
Free employer guides
The Fair Dismissal Checklist and Written Warning Pack — free to download.
16-step checklist covering every stage of a lawful dismissal. Plus four ready-to-use letter templates. Enter your email and both documents are yours instantly.
Get both documents freeStep four: begin the disciplinary process
Once you have made reasonable attempts to contact the employee and received no response, once they have returned and you have established the absence was not authorised, begin the formal disciplinary process.
Send an invitation letter to a disciplinary hearing. State the allegation - unauthorised absence - the date and time of the meeting, the right to be accompanied, that dismissal is a possible outcome.
If the employee is still absent, send the letter to their home address by recorded delivery. Keep the proof of postage. Give a reasonable deadline for response - five working days is standard.
If they do not respond to the invitation, you can proceed with the hearing in their absence. Document that you did so and why. Send the outcome letter to their home address.
Step five: make the decision
At the disciplinary hearing - whether they attend or not - consider the full picture. How long was the absence? Did they make any contact at all? Is there a history of similar behaviour? Is there any explanation that could mitigate what happened?
If the absence was short, there is a plausible explanation, there is no prior history, a written warning may be the proportionate outcome.
If the absence was prolonged, there was no contact at all, there is no credible explanation, dismissal may be justified.
State your reasoning in the outcome letter. Confirm the right of appeal.
What not to do
Do not dismiss by text message. Do not remove the employee from the rota and assume that ends the employment relationship. Do not refuse to engage with any explanation they offer, however late it arrives. Each of these creates straightforward tribunal risk.
Free no call no show warning letter — UK template
This letter is suitable for a first instance of unauthorised absence where the employee has not made contact. It invites the employee to an investigation meeting before any formal disciplinary action is taken, which is the legally correct sequence under UK employment law.
Copy the text below, fill in the bracketed fields, and keep a copy on file.
Free employer resources
Need the full written warning pack?
The Birchlow Written Warning Template Pack includes four ready-to-use letters: invitation to hearing, first written warning, final written warning, and letter of dismissal. Free to download.
Get the free template packWhat changes from January 2027
From January 2027, the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims reduces from two years to six months. An employee who goes AWOL in month seven of their employment will have full tribunal rights if you dismiss them. The process above applies from early in the employment - not just once the employee has built up years of service.
How Birchlow helps
Birchlow generates the letters you need to handle unauthorised absence correctly - the initial written notice, the invitation to a disciplinary hearing, the outcome letter - all updated to reflect current employment law. The platform logs each step with a timestamp so your process is fully documented if a claim is made.
Free employer guides
The Fair Dismissal Checklist and Written Warning Pack — free to download.
16-step checklist covering every stage of a lawful dismissal. Plus four ready-to-use letter templates. Enter your email and both documents are yours instantly.
Get both documents free