Employee Not Turning Up to Work in Construction?
The short answer
First check they're safe, then cover the job from your bench and record every attempt to reach them. Talk calmly when they're back; repeated absence goes through a fair disciplinary process.
- First hour: check they're safe. Work number, personal number, then the emergency contact. Calm, no accusations.
- Cover the job and write it down. Ring your bench of trades, and record every call, message and reply.
- Pay: you generally don't have to pay for time not worked. Lateness deductions only if the contract says so, and never below minimum wage.
- Back at work: a return conversation, not a row. If it keeps happening, follow a fair disciplinary procedure. Dismissal is the last resort.
It's 7:40. The van is loaded, the client expects two of you, and your labourer isn't answering. Again. You've got a choice between losing a day on site and losing your temper.
An employee not turning up to work stops a construction job dead. The top results for this are written by HR firms for office managers. This guide is for owners of UK trade and construction businesses with a few employees, where one no-show stops a job.
It covers today, this week, and how to make sure one person can't stop you again. If no-shows keep costing you days, book a free strategy call.
This is general information from a contractor's experience, not legal advice. For your situation, speak to Acas or an employment solicitor.
First hour: check they're safe
Before you decide anything about discipline, check nothing has happened to them. People do have accidents on the way to site.
- Check it wasn't planned: a holiday, an appointment, a message you missed.
- Ring their work phone, then their personal number.
- Then their emergency contact. Keep it calm: "We were expecting [name] on site this morning and can't reach him. Is everything OK?"
- Send one written message so there's a dated record.
"Hi [name], you were due at [site] at 7:30 today and I couldn't reach you. Please let me know you're OK and when you'll be in. [Your name]"
If you've tried everything and you're seriously worried, a home visit or asking the police for a welfare check is the last resort.
Hours 1 to 3: keep the job moving
The client doesn't need to know about your staffing. They need the job to keep moving.
| Option | When it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Move someone from another job | The other job can lose a day | Don't create two late jobs to save one |
| Call a sub from your bench | You have 2–3 trusted subs per trade | Agree the rate and scope before they start |
| Change today's tasks | Work that needs fewer hands can go first | Keep the programme honest |
| Tell the client | Only if the finish date moves | Call first, then confirm in writing with the new date |
If your only option today was "do it yourself", that's the real problem to fix. More on that below.
Firefighting the same problems every week? Take the free 4-minute Construction Business Scorecard, with your weakest area shown first. Need an experienced operator for a day or two a week? See our fractional COO service.
Still losing site days to no-shows?
Book a free call with our team. We'll look at your team, your site rules and your bench of trades.
Write it down
Records make everything that follows fair and defensible. Keep a simple absence log per person.
| Date | Due on site | Contact attempts (time, how) | Their reply | Reason given | Paid? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: Mon 14 Oct | 7:30 | 7:45 call, 7:50 text, 8:15 emergency contact | 10:20 text: "car broke down" | Car breakdown | Hours worked only |
Texting "Don't bother coming back" at 8 am. If there's a real reason, you've lost a worker and maybe started a claim. Wait for the facts.
Short-handed again this week?
Book a free call and we'll look at your team and your bench with you.
When they're back: the return conversation
Have it privately, the same day if you can. You're finding out why, not winning an argument.
"You weren't in on Monday and I couldn't reach you, which left the job a man down. What happened? … Is there anything going on that I should know about? … Going forward, if you can't make it, I need a call to me by 7 am. Can you do that?"
Then decide what applies:
- Sick: Statutory Sick Pay rules apply. They have to tell you by your deadline, or within 7 days if you haven't set one. They need a fit note if they're off more than 7 days in a row.
- Pregnancy or disability: record these absences separately and get advice before taking any action. Disciplining someone for pregnancy-related absence can be discrimination.
- No good reason: you generally don't have to pay for time not worked. Be fair and consistent with everyone.
- Lateness: deduct pay only if their contract allows it, keep it in proportion to the time lost, and never take pay below the minimum wage.
If an employee keeps not turning up
One no-show is a conversation. A pattern is a disciplinary matter, and it needs a fair process.
| Stage | What you do |
|---|---|
| Pattern spotted | Check your log; talk to them about the reason and what must change |
| Still happening | Follow your disciplinary procedure: a written invitation to a meeting, the facts, their side |
| Outcome | A written warning setting out what's expected and for how long |
| Still no change | Further stages under your procedure. Dismissal is the last resort |
Today, most employees need 2 years' service to claim unfair dismissal. That falls to 6 months for dismissals taking effect on or after 1 January 2027, and some reasons are automatically unfair from day one. Take advice before you dismiss anyone, and see how to dismiss an employee with under 2 years' service.
Is the person actually a self-employed sub, not an employee? Then it's about your subcontract, not employment law. See subcontractor walked off the job.
So one no-show never stops a job again
Most repeat no-shows have a cause you can fix. Look for it before you replace the person.
| Cause | How you spot it | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Pay is late or unclear | Absences cluster around payday | Same payday every week, payslip on time |
| No one in charge on site | Worse on jobs you're not at | A site lead who starts the day and reports in |
| Unclear plan | "I didn't know where we were today" | Tomorrow's site and start time sent by 5 pm |
| Travel | Long or awkward journeys | Pick-up points or van shares |
| Wrong person | No improvement after a fair process | Better hiring: role card, trial day, references |
A written site attendance rule. Put it in writing, explain it at induction, and apply it to everyone the same way:
"If you can't make it to site, call [name] by 7 am. A text isn't enough. If you're sick, tell us on the first morning and every day after, unless you've given us a fit note. Time not worked without a good reason isn't paid. Repeated absence or lateness will be dealt with under our disciplinary procedure."
Then build the bench: 2–3 reliable subs per trade, agreed rates in writing, and a site lead on each job. Here is how to find good tradesmen to hire.
That's how owners who used to do everything themselves step back. Oleg built a team of 10+; Dima, an electrician, hired about 10 people in roughly 4 weeks. Individual results, not typical or guaranteed.
Hiring and managing people is where many owners get stuck, and every business gets stuck in a different place. That's why BizMentor's main program is one-to-one mentoring with Sviat, who runs Craftex today. He looks at your team, your strengths and your gaps, not a standard plan for hundreds of firms.
Smaller firms start in small groups with regular one-to-ones. If you're still on the tools and under £500K a year, start here. See what business mentoring for trades covers.
If chasing people is part of why your weeks run to 70 hours, read where the hours go.
Build a Construction Business That Runs Without You
Who to hire in what order, role cards and the subcontractor bank that keeps jobs moving. Free PDF.
Get the free guideWant a team that runs the job when you're not there? Book a free strategy call.
Your checklist for this week
This is general information from a contractor's experience, not legal advice. For your situation, speak to Acas or an employment solicitor.
Before you go
- Safety checked: work phone, personal phone, emergency contact
- Job covered and the client updated only if the date moved
- Absence logged with times, attempts and reason
- Return conversation held, and the right rule applied (sick, lateness, no reason)
- Written attendance rule shared with the whole team
