AbsentEase
No call, no show write-up and termination letter templates
A no call, no show write-up is the formal notice that an employee missed a scheduled shift without reporting it, filed to the personnel record. Below are the three documents in the order an employer issues them: the written warning, the final written warning, and the separation letter for a third occurrence or for job abandonment. Each one is printed in full and downloads as a Word document. Pick your state and the termination letter's final-pay paragraph fills in with that state's deadline.
What Montana requires after a no call, no show termination
| Final pay after a discharge | When an employee 'is separated for cause or laid off from employment by the employer, all the unpaid wages of the employee are due and payable immediately upon separation unless the employer has a written personnel policy governing the employment that extends the time for payment of final wages to the employee's next regular payday for the pay period or to within 15 days from the separation, whichever occurs first.' The Department of Labor & Industry reads 'immediately' as within four hours or the end of the business day, whichever occurs first. Mont. Code Ann. § 39-3-205(2); Mont. DLI Wage and Hour FAQ |
|---|---|
| Final pay after a resignation | When an employee quits (with or without notice; the statute does not distinguish), all unpaid wages 'are due and payable on the next regular payday for the pay period during which the employee was separated from employment or 15 days from the date of separation from employment, whichever occurs first,' through regular pay channels or by mail if the employee requests. Mont. Code Ann. § 39-3-205(1) |
| Accrued PTO at separation | Earned vacation must be paid; PTO and sick banks follow your written policy. Earned vacation is wages: once vacation has been earned under the employer's policy the Department of Labor & Industry treats it as wages 'due and payable in the same manner as regular wages', 'use it or lose it' policies are not permitted (reasonable accrual caps are), and the Montana Supreme Court reached the same result in Langager v. Crazy Creek Products. Combined PTO, sick leave and severance are different: the Department states that private employers 'are not required to pay out severance pay, sick leave, or paid time off (PTO)', which 'are considered benefits and may be paid based on the employer's policies', and that for PTO 'payout of this benefit is dependent on the employer's policy.' Mont. Code Ann. § 39-3-201(6)(a); Mont. DLI Wage and Hour FAQ (vacation); Langager v. Crazy Creek Products, Inc., 1998 MT 44 |
| Job abandonment in Montana law | No statute or regulation defines job abandonment or sets a consecutive-days threshold; it is set by employer policy. Montana is not an at-will state after probation: under the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act a discharge is wrongful if 'the discharge was not for good cause and the employee had completed the employer's probationary period of employment' (§ 39-2-904(1)(b)); 'good cause' means 'any reasonable job-related grounds for an employee's dismissal based on the employee's failure to satisfactorily perform job duties, the employee's disruption of the employer's operation, the employee's material or repeated violation of an express provision of the employer's written policies, or other legitimate business reasons' (§ 39-2-903(5)); if the employer sets no probationary period, 'there is a probationary period of 12 months commencing on the date the employee begins work,' extendable before it expires to a combined maximum of 18 months (§ 39-2-910(1)-(2)), and during probation employment 'may be terminated at the will of either the employer or the employee on notice to the other for any reason or for no reason' (§ 39-2-904(2)). A post-probation no-call, no-show discharge therefore needs to rest on a documented written attendance policy or performance grounds, and the employer must also not have 'materially violated an express provision of its own written personnel policy prior to the discharge' (§ 39-2-904(1)(c)). Mont. Code Ann. §§ 39-2-903(5), 39-2-904(1)(b)-(c), 39-2-904(2), 39-2-910; §§ 39-51-2302, 39-51-2303, 39-51-201(19)(a)(i)(B), (E), (G) |
The termination letter below uses the discharge deadline, the earlier of the two in most states. Full detail, including Montana's sick-leave rules, is on the Montana sick leave law and call-off rules guide.
Before you write anyone up: three checks
- Did they actually report it? Open the call-off log and look for any call, text, or message from the employee in the window the policy allows. If every call-off goes to one company line that logs with timestamps, this takes a minute. If call-offs go to a supervisor's personal cell, you may not be able to answer the question, and a write-up built on a supervisor's memory is the kind that gets reversed.
- Could the absence be protected? A hospitalization, a flare-up of a known condition, or anything that sounds like FMLA, ADA, or state sick-leave territory gets a conversation with HR before it gets a write-up. The templates include a paragraph inviting the employee to tell you, so the invitation is on the record.
- Where are they on the ladder? Count occurrences inside the rolling window your policy uses, not since hire. The write-up should state the count and name any prior notices by date, so the next step is predictable to everyone reading the file.
What every no call, no show write-up includes
- Employee name, title, and department; the supervisor issuing the notice; the date of the notice.
- The shift missed, with its scheduled start and end times.
- The policy section violated and the occurrence count in the rolling window, with prior notices by date.
- The operational impact, in a sentence or two.
- The reporting procedure the employee must follow going forward, and what does not count as a call-off.
- The consequence of the next occurrence, taken from the policy, not improvised.
- A protected-absence paragraph inviting the employee to disclose a medical or legally protected reason.
- Space for the employee's statement, and dated signatures with a line to record a refusal to sign.
Written warning (first occurrence)
Issue it the day the employee returns. It records the missed shift, restates the reporting rule, and names the next step.
Written Warning: No Call, No Show
Employee and incident details
- Employee: [Full name], [Job title], [Department]
- Supervisor issuing this notice: [Name], [Title]
- Date of this notice: [Date]
- Shift missed: [Date], scheduled [start time] to [end time]
- Policy violated: [Company Name] No Call, No Show Policy, section [number], and Attendance Policy section [number]
- Occurrences in the rolling twelve-month window, including this one: 1 of 3
- Prior notices: none
What happened
On [date], you were scheduled to work from [start time] to [end time]. You did not report for the shift, and [Company Name] received no call, text, or message from you through the call-off procedure before the shift began or within one hour after your scheduled start time. Under the attendance policy this is a no call, no show.
[Describe the impact in one or two sentences, for example: the second-shift line ran short-handed and two coworkers stayed over to cover your station.]
What is expected going forward
- Report every absence or late arrival through the [Company Name] call-off line at [phone number] at least one hour before your scheduled start time.
- A message to a coworker, a note on social media, or a text to a supervisor's personal phone is not a call-off.
- If an emergency makes it impossible to report before your shift, contact [Company Name] as soon as you are able and be prepared to provide documentation.
Consequences
This written warning is the first step of the no call, no show discipline ladder. A second no call, no show within the rolling twelve-month window will result in a final written warning, and a third will result in termination of employment. Three consecutive no call, no show days are treated as job abandonment and a voluntary resignation. Occurrences age out twelve months after they happen.
Protected absences
If this absence was related to a medical condition, a disability, or another reason protected by law (for example leave under the FMLA, an accommodation under the ADA, or state sick-leave law), tell [HR contact] now so the company can determine whether protected leave applies. This notice will be reviewed in light of any information you provide.
Employee statement (optional)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Acknowledgment
Your signature acknowledges that you received this notice; it does not mean you agree with it. If you decline to sign, the supervisor will note the refusal below and the notice stays in your file.
Employee signature: ____________________________ Date: ____________
Supervisor signature: __________________________ Date: ____________
Witness or HR signature: _______________________ Date: ____________
[ ] Employee declined to sign. Noted by: ____________________________
This template was prepared by AbsentEase (absentease.net) as general information for employers, not legal advice. Employment laws differ by state and change over time. Have your letters reviewed by qualified counsel, and never issue discipline for an absence that may be protected by the FMLA, the ADA, or a state leave law without that review.
Final written warning (second occurrence)
For the second occurrence inside the rolling window. Same facts, plus the prior warning and the line that the next one ends employment.
Final Written Warning: No Call, No Show
Employee and incident details
- Employee: [Full name], [Job title], [Department]
- Supervisor issuing this notice: [Name], [Title]
- Date of this notice: [Date]
- Shift missed: [Date], scheduled [start time] to [end time]
- Policy violated: [Company Name] No Call, No Show Policy, section [number], and Attendance Policy section [number]
- Occurrences in the rolling twelve-month window, including this one: 2 of 3
- Prior notices: written warning dated [date] for the no call, no show on [date]
What happened
On [date], you were scheduled to work from [start time] to [end time]. You did not report for the shift, and [Company Name] received no call, text, or message from you through the call-off procedure before the shift began or within one hour after your scheduled start time. This is your second no call, no show within the rolling twelve-month window.
[Describe the impact in one or two sentences.]
What is expected going forward
- Report every absence or late arrival through the [Company Name] call-off line at [phone number] at least one hour before your scheduled start time.
- A message to a coworker, a note on social media, or a text to a supervisor's personal phone is not a call-off.
- If an emergency makes it impossible to report before your shift, contact [Company Name] as soon as you are able and be prepared to provide documentation.
Consequences
This is a final written warning. Any further no call, no show within the rolling twelve-month window will result in termination of employment. Three consecutive no call, no show days are treated as job abandonment and a voluntary resignation.
[Optional, delete if not used: In addition, you are suspended without pay on [date(s)]. Report for your next scheduled shift on [date].]
Protected absences
If this absence was related to a medical condition, a disability, or another reason protected by law (for example leave under the FMLA, an accommodation under the ADA, or state sick-leave law), tell [HR contact] now so the company can determine whether protected leave applies. This notice will be reviewed in light of any information you provide.
Employee statement (optional)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Acknowledgment
Your signature acknowledges that you received this notice; it does not mean you agree with it. If you decline to sign, the supervisor will note the refusal below and the notice stays in your file.
Employee signature: ____________________________ Date: ____________
Supervisor signature: __________________________ Date: ____________
Witness or HR signature: _______________________ Date: ____________
[ ] Employee declined to sign. Noted by: ____________________________
This template was prepared by AbsentEase (absentease.net) as general information for employers, not legal advice. Employment laws differ by state and change over time. Have your letters reviewed by qualified counsel, and never issue discipline for an absence that may be protected by the FMLA, the ADA, or a state leave law without that review.
Termination letter (third occurrence or job abandonment)
For the third occurrence, or for consecutive no call, no show days treated as job abandonment. Covers the dates, the contact attempts, final pay, property, and how to dispute it.
Notice of Separation: No Call, No Show
Employee and separation details
- Employee: [Full name], [Job title], [Department]
- Date of this notice: [Date]
- Last day worked: [Date]
- Unreported absences: [Date 1], [Date 2], [Date 3]
- Prior notices: written warning dated [date]; final written warning dated [date] (delete if this is a job-abandonment separation with no prior notices)
- Separation effective: [Date]
Reason for separation
[Use one of the two paragraphs below and delete the other.]
Job abandonment: You were scheduled to work on [Date 1], [Date 2], and [Date 3] and did not report for any of those shifts or contact [Company Name] through the call-off procedure. Under the attendance policy, three consecutive no call, no show days are treated as job abandonment and a voluntary resignation, effective your last day worked, [date].
Third occurrence: On [date] you were scheduled to work from [start time] to [end time] and did not report or contact [Company Name] through the call-off procedure. This is your third no call, no show within the rolling twelve-month window, following the written warning dated [date] and the final written warning dated [date]. Under the attendance policy, your employment is terminated effective [date].
Our attempts to reach you
We attempted to reach you by [phone call / text message] on [dates and times] at the number on file, [number], and received no response. [If an emergency contact was called, say so here.]
Final pay
Your final paycheck, covering all hours worked through [last day worked] and any paid time off owed under company policy or Montana law, will be issued on your separation date, or by the next regular payday or within fifteen days, whichever comes first, where our written policy so provides (Mont. Code Ann. § 39-3-205(2); Mont. DLI Wage and Hour FAQ).
[Note to employer, delete before issuing: Montana may set a different final-pay deadline for a resignation (Mont. Code Ann. § 39-3-205(1)) than for a discharge, and Montana's PTO payout rule is: Earned vacation must be paid; PTO and sick banks follow your written policy. This letter uses the discharge deadline. If you treat job abandonment as a resignation but a state agency later treats it as a discharge, the discharge deadline governs, so pay by the earlier of the two when in doubt. Both deadlines and the PTO rule are set out on the Montana guide at absentease.net/resources/montana-sick-leave-law.]
Benefits and company property
- Health coverage, if enrolled, ends on [date]. If you are eligible for continuation coverage (COBRA or a state continuation program), the notice will be mailed separately to your address on file.
- Return any company property in your possession ([badge, keys, uniforms, tools, devices]) to [name] at [location] by [date].
- Your final pay statement and year-end tax forms will be sent to the address on file. If your address changes, tell [HR contact] in writing.
If you believe this is in error
If an emergency, a medical condition, or a reason protected by law (for example leave under the FMLA, an accommodation under the ADA, or state sick-leave law) prevented you from contacting us, contact [HR contact] at [phone] or [email] by [date]. We will review any documentation you provide and respond in writing.
Signature
Sincerely,
____________________________
[Name], [Title]
[Company Name]
cc: Personnel file
[Delivery: hand-delivered on [date] / sent by certified mail and email on [date]]
This template was prepared by AbsentEase (absentease.net) as general information for employers, not legal advice. Employment laws differ by state and change over time. Have your letters reviewed by qualified counsel, and never issue discipline for an absence that may be protected by the FMLA, the ADA, or a state leave law without that review.
"But I called": the dispute every write-up invites
The most common response to a no call, no show write-up is that the employee did report it: they left a voicemail, texted someone, told a lead at the end of the previous shift. Sometimes that is true. Whether it counts depends on what the policy names as the channel, and whether you can prove what arrived and when. A single company call-off line that logs every call and text with a timestamp answers the question for both sides in seconds; a shared cell phone or a voicemail box nobody saves cannot. If you cannot prove the silence, do not issue the write-up as a no call, no show. Record it as an unexcused absence, fix the reporting line, and write the policy so the next one is provable.
Documentation that holds up later
Write-ups are read twice: once by the employee, and later by an unemployment examiner, an investigator, or a lawyer who was not there. Write for the second reader. State facts and dates, quote the policy section, attach or reference the call-off record, keep the tone neutral, and file the signed copy the same day. The termination letter should match the policy's own words: a job-abandonment separation is a voluntary resignation effective the last day worked; a third-occurrence separation is a termination. That classification can decide the final-paycheck deadline in states that set different ones for a discharge and a resignation, which is why the letter's final-pay paragraph is set per state above.
The record a write-up needs, made automatically
AbsentEase gives your company one number employees text to call off. Every message is logged verbatim with a timestamp, the right supervisor is alerted within seconds, and a shift with no message is recorded as a no call, no show against the attendance policy automatically. When someone says "but I called," the answer is on the screen.