When HR Gets Spooky: Real Workplace Nightmares (And How To Fix Them)

As Halloween nears, the workplace can get spooky in its own way — from vanishing employees to mysterious reappearances and chilling gossip that refuses to die. In this October Workplace Update, Paige McAllister of The Workplace Advisors dives into some of the eeriest HR stories she’s encountered and what employers can learn from them.

Along with leaves starting to fall and the aroma of pumpkin spice filling the air, signs of Halloween are everywhere. While others see spooky or fun symbols of the holiday, they made us reflect on some of the scariest HR stories we have heard recently.

Ghosts: “We had an employee just disappear on us. He worked for us for several months, but then, one day, just stopped showing up. It’s been a week now, and there’s been no word from him, even though we have tried calling him. What do we do?”

Unfortunately, “ghosting” is nothing new in the workplace, where employees no longer report to work and fail to call in to explain their absence. It can also occur when an employee fails to return as scheduled after an approved leave of absence. The actions you can take depend on the situation, but usually you can terminate an employee for this “no call, no show” after two or three days of them not reporting in or calling out, especially if employment is at-will and you have a policy stating what will happen in this case. While not required, you may want to try contacting them (via text, call, or email) or even reach out to their emergency contact to ensure they are okay. If you decide to terminate them, notify them by sending a simple notice outlining the termination date, date of final pay, COBRA, and how to return company-issued items.

Zombies: “OK, so we finally fired that employee since we never heard from them after two weeks. But now, after a month, they have come in, expecting to get back to work. What do we do? Do we need to rehire them?”

It’s incredible, but some employees don’t understand that they can’t just disappear and come back to a job like nothing happened. Typically, you do not need to rehire the employee. Still, you might consider it in a couple of situations.

If they explain that they were in the hospital with no access to their phone, didn’t know the number, and couldn’t call in until now, then you can ask for more details and documentation from a healthcare provider as to where they have been. If it checks out, you can rehire them (but ask for a release back to work to make sure they are physically able to work without further injury).

Or if you have not been able to fill their position and desperately need someone, you could rehire them but have them sign a document acknowledging that another “no call, no show” will be immediate termination and not rehireable; you can also put them on probation so that if they do anything wrong, they will face escalated disciplinary action (just be sure to note that employment is at-will during and after the probation period).

Haunted house: “We offer flexible scheduling to help our employees balance their personal needs while meeting their job commitments. Most employees appreciate this, as evidenced by their increased focus during work hours and their longer tenure. However, we have one employee who has started working many overnight hours when no one else is available and has even missed some team meetings; she is also unavailable when everyone else is working. While employees have individual tasks that can be done at any time, there are things she needs to collaborate on with others, which is impossible when she works these hours. Do we need to allow her to work these hours?”

It can be disheartening when an employee abuses a policy that everyone else values, especially when that poor behavior impacts their colleagues. In this situation, it is essential to define “availability” as a job requirement. Consider setting “core hours” when all employees must be available, and then let them flex their work hours outside of those hours. (This is also helpful when employees work across different time zones.) Include language in your policy that reserves your right to require an employee to work certain hours and/or attend required meetings, events, or trainings. You also reserve the right to rescind the flexible schedule benefit for any employee if necessary.

Black cat: “An employee just informed us that she needs to bring her cat into the office as her ‘emotional support animal.’ We have previously assisted employees with temporary accommodations, such as flexible schedules and working from home while they recover, but this will be a long-term need. Do we need to allow this?”

An employee cannot put a special vest on a cat (or any other animal) and claim it is a legitimate service animal. Service animals that aid individuals with a medical condition (e.g., diabetes, seizures, or allergies) undergo rigorous training and are often considered an accommodation under the ADA. Still, you need to determine if their presence in the workplace is reasonable.

“Emotional support” animals are not covered under the ADA; however, you may need to consider them depending on several factors, including the employee’s emotional disability that requires the animal, how the animal assists the employee, and the animal’s training to be in public. The more serious the condition and the more well-trained the animal to help with that condition, the more likely you should permit the animal in the workplace. If an employee provides documentation from their healthcare provider verifying the need for the animal and that the employee cannot function without it, and if the animal is well-trained to be in public places, such as the workplace, then you may want to allow the animal on a trial basis.

As with any accommodation request, you should engage in an interactive dialogue process that includes documentation from the health care provider that directs limitations and needs for accommodation, the employee’s requested accommodation, and your analysis of what can be offered without creating a legitimate undue hardship on the company.

Spiderweb: “Like most companies, we have an 'office gossip' who shares way too much about her life and things she knows about others, even if inappropriate. Not only does she talk a lot during breaks, but it has eroded her productivity and that of those who interact with her, whether they want to or not. To make things worse, she is our HR person. This creates added concern, as she knows a great deal of confidential information about the company and its employees. How do we address this?”

It is frustrating any time an employee disrupts the workplace, especially when it negatively impacts productivity, focus, and morale. The more severe the impacts, the more you should address them with disciplinary action, escalating as necessary if the issue persists.

Things become more serious if the gossipy employee is HR or management, as these employees are trusted with sensitive information. Even if they do not blatantly betray confidences, this behavior can call their trustworthiness and decision-making into question, resulting in employees no longer trusting them or the company that places them in roles of responsibility. As such, disciplinary action should be escalated along with possible probation or even termination.

Fall is not the only time of year HR faces scary situations like these. Let The Workplace Advisors help you navigate through these types of scenarios as you face them.