The UAE (in terms of employment and labour) has absconders which are people who run away from their work without notice and without properly resigning. For whatever reason that workers don’t go back to their sponsor/employer, it is important that you avoid this.

      Many expats might do this without knowing what absconding means and what are the consequences/penalties. So it is important that you know what this means and it is essential for you to avoid this. Here’s everything you need to know about “absconding” in the country.

What is “absconding”?

      Based on the definition given by the UAE Labour Law, absconding means not reporting for work for more than 7 days without a valid reason. If you are aware of the term “AWOL” (absence without leave), which is a term used by many countries when an employee skips going to work for more than a week, the same definition applies to absconding.

      In the UAE, absconding comes with proper reporting procedures, penalties, amnesty programs, and conditions that are unaccepted by the Ministry of Labour. Since it is important in the eyes of law, you should be aware of these things as an expat working in the UAE.

How to properly report an expat who absconded from work?

      For employers who have employees who absconded, they may do the following procedures to formally report those employees.

• Fill out and submit the absconding report to the Ministry of Labour.
• Submit evidence that your company has no pending labour fees and that the company has paid all the previous fees due to the employee.
• Provide a bank guarantee for each employee who has run away from work for a specified amount set by the bank.
• Tell the Labour Inspection Administration of the Ministry of Labour about the whereabouts of the employee in case you know where he/she is currently staying. This information will help the authorities investigate and build the details of the case.