A no call, no show is an absence from the workforce without notifying the employer. This form of absence is typically considered inconsiderate and very unprofessional. When workers miss work, especially in jobs where one's workload would need to be substituted for the day (teachers, cashiers, servers, etc.), it is generally expected that they call in advance to warn of his/her absence so that their workload can be completed by the present workers. Many businesses have forms of punishments as a result of no call, no shows such as counseling statements

Counseling statements

A counseling statement is a form of verbal or written counseling given to employees in the workforce who have violated a company policy. Counseling statements, the least severe form of disciplinary action, serve as warnings for violations...

, suspension

Suspension (punishment)

Suspension is a form of punishment that people receive for violating rules and regulations.- Workplace :Suspension is a common practice in the workplace for being in violation of an organization's policy...

, and possibly termination of employment

Firing

Dismissal is the termination of employment by an employer against the will of the employee. Though such a decision can be made by an employer for a variety of reasons, ranging from an economic downturn to performance-related problems on the part of the employee, being fired has a strong stigma in...

.

There are various reasons why a no call, no show occurs:

• Sometimes, an employee who does not show up to work without reporting is quitting the job, but does so by abandoning their position and discontinuing all further communications with the employer.
• There are times, however, when a no call, no show is not preventable, such as when an employee is suffering a medical emergency
  Medical emergency
  A medical emergency is an injury or illness that is acute and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the...
  
   and is unable to communicate with the employer. An employer is more likely to excuse such an absence if the employee has a good prior attendance record and/or supplies satisfactory documentation of the unexpected nature of the situation (such as paperwork from an ambulance or hospital).
• In some cases, the employee does report the absence to the employer, but the employer fails to receive the communication.
• It can be also construed that the employee simply wants to take the day off (despite the risk of any disciplinary action that might be taken in this situation) and does not want to deal with any possible hassling questions from the employer.
• In retail positions, there are often scheduling inconsistencies in which employees believes that they are working a different shift that day (or for that matter, working an entirely different day) instead of the one scheduled. Some employers consider this a form of no call, no show.