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.
The same arrangement is also called garden leave, and in the United States the term is used unchanged. Both describe an employee serving out notice away from work while remaining employed and paid.
Common questions
What does Gardening Leave (UK, AU) mean in simple terms?+
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.
How does Gardening Leave (UK, AU) affect property and running costs?+
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.
What else is Gardening Leave called?+
The same arrangement is also called garden leave, and in the United States the term is used unchanged. Both describe an employee serving out notice away from work while remaining employed and paid.