It is 10:12 PM. The night guard at a warehouse site was due at 10. He has not clocked in, his phone goes to voicemail, and the evening guard wants to know if she can go home. How the next hour goes depends on whether your office knows exactly what to do, and whether your guards know exactly what you expect from them.
This guide covers both. It starts with a checklist for the office, then gives you a no call, no show policy to copy and adapt, a short script for calling the client, and the habits that cut no-shows before they start.
Before you copy anything: this is general guidance, not legal advice. Employment law differs by province and state, so have your final policy checked where your guards work.
On this page
Write these five definitions into your policy so nobody argues about them later.
Print this and keep it by the dispatch phone. The times count from the start of the shift. If a guard calls off before the shift, skip straight to the 15-minute step.
Copy the policy below into your handbook and change everything in [brackets]. Keep it short enough that guards actually read it, and have every guard sign it before their first shift.
1. Why this policy exists. Our clients count on a guard at every post, on time, for the whole shift. An empty post can put people and property at risk, and it can cost us the contract. This policy explains what we expect from you and what happens when a shift is missed.
2. Who it covers. Every guard and supervisor who works scheduled shifts for [Company name].
3. Definitions.
4. How to call off. Call the office at [phone number]. A text, a social media message or a message to a coworker does not count. Call at least [4] hours before a day shift and [8] hours before a night shift, or as soon as you know. Tell us the general reason and when you expect to be back. You do not have to share medical details.
5. Running late. If you are going to be late, call the office before your start time. [Two] late arrivals in [30] days will be discussed with your supervisor.
6. Never leave a post uncovered. Stay at your post until your relief arrives or the office tells you that you can leave. If your relief is late, call the office right away. We will not keep you on post longer than the law allows, and you are paid for every extra minute you work.
7. What happens after a no call, no show.
Leaving your post without the office's OK is treated at least as seriously as a no call, no show, and can lead to termination the first time. Repeated late call-offs and late arrivals follow the same steps as a no call, no show.
8. Emergencies and protected leave. Real emergencies happen. If one keeps you from a shift, contact the office as soon as you safely can, and we will take the circumstances into account. Absences the law protects, such as protected sick leave, family or medical leave, or time off as an accommodation, never count toward the steps in section 7.
9. Pay. You are paid for all the time you work. We do not take money from your pay as a penalty for arriving late or missing a shift.
10. Records. Every late arrival, call-off and no call, no show is recorded with the date, the time and the reason, and kept in your employee file. Any medical details are kept confidential, separate from your employee file.
11. Acknowledgement. I have read and understand this policy.
Name: ____________________
Signature: ____________________
Date: ____________
Pick a notice period your office can actually find cover in. If it takes you three hours to fill a weeknight shift, a two-hour rule protects no one.
Whether termination comes at the second or the third no call, no show is your decision. Either way, write the rule down, have every guard sign it, and apply it to everyone the same way.
Read your client contracts too. If one sets a deadline for reporting coverage gaps, build that deadline into your office checklist. If your guards are unionized, check the collective agreement first. Then have the final version checked against employment law where your guards work.
Call before the client notices, and call with a plan: who is coming, and when they will be there.
"Hi [name], it's [your name] from [company]. Your 10 PM officer at [site] hasn't arrived. [Replacement] is on the way and should be on site by about 10:45. Until then, [current guard] is staying on post. I'll text you as soon as [replacement] clocks in."
Follow up in writing the same night, and note the gap in that shift's report so the record matches what you told the client.
Publish the schedule early and stop changing it. Last-minute changes are where "I didn't know I was working" comes from.
Ask guards to confirm their shifts. If a guard declines three days ahead, you have three days to find cover. If nobody confirms anything, you find out at 10 PM.
Keep a short list of guards who want extra shifts, and know who still has room before overtime. That list is your first call when a post opens up.
Make calling off simple: one phone number that someone answers at any hour. If reaching the office is hard, some guards won't bother to call.
Write down every call-off and no-show. If the same guard keeps missing Sundays, or the same site keeps losing guards, you will only spot it if it is written down.
GuardChek's scheduling was designed around exactly this kind of night. Here is what happens in the software:
See how GuardChek scheduling works, or check the published pricing.
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A no call, no show is when an employee misses a scheduled shift without contacting the employer first. For a security company it means a post that should be covered is empty, and the client usually doesn't know yet.
It depends on your written policy, the guard's record and local employment law. The template above uses a written warning, then a final warning, then termination for a third within 12 months, and treats leaving a post more strictly. Whatever you choose, write it down, have guards sign it and apply it to everyone the same way.
Yes. Time a guard spends on post after the shift ends is time worked and has to be paid. The US Department of Labor says work an employer allows is work time that must be paid (see its hours worked fact sheet). Overtime rules may also apply. In the US, federal rules require overtime pay at time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek for most guards, and hours worked at different posts for the same employer in the same week are added together (see the US Department of Labor fact sheet for security guards). Some states, such as California, also have daily overtime. In Ontario, overtime pay starts after 44 hours in a work week for most employees (see Ontario's overtime pay guide).
Check your contract first. If it sets a deadline for reporting coverage gaps, follow it. Either way, call the client before they notice, with the name of the replacement and an arrival time.
No software makes a guard show up. It can tell you sooner that a post is empty, and help you fill the shift faster.
Checked on October 25, 2026. Rules change, so check the current rules where your guards work.
About GuardChek. GuardChek is security guard management software for companies that staff guards at client sites: scheduling, GPS clock-in, guard tours, incident reports and payroll reports in one place, with apps for iPhone and Android. It is built by a security company that runs on it every day. More about us and how we write our guides.