Gardening leave is the British and Australian practice of paying a departing employee through their notice period while requiring them to stay away from work: still employed, still bound by duties, but out of the office and its systems, theoretically tending the garden. It protects client relationships and confidential information while restrictions run.
The workplace admin is real: access suspended, records updated, handover managed, and the person’s seat and permits released back to the pool. American English has no exact equivalent; the closest cousins are paid administrative leave and non-compete arrangements.