Tiago Piló, managing associate of the Labour practice, discusses from a legal perspective the phenomenon of ‘workplace ghosting’, a term used in human resources management manuals to describe situations where candidates disappear halfway through recruitment processes or employees leave a job without prior notice.

The article, published in Expresso newspaper, notes that the scenario in Portugal has worsened over the last three years. For instance, an average of 10% of candidates identified and contacted by a company for recruitment purposes, eventually stop turning up during the selection process. Workplace ghosting takes many other forms, including when employees suddenly leave companies without presenting a formal resignation. This particular form of ghosting is legally defined as "Job Abandonment" and can be punishable if it results in losses for the company.

“Unlike 'ghost' candidates, who can withdraw without notice from a recruitment process with no repercussions, employees may be liable for a hefty fine if the company incurs losses due to their decision to abandon a job without prior notice”, explains Tiago Piló.

Read the article here.