the.com/gardening leave
paid exile where you keep your salary but lose your login.
means a period after resigning or being dismissed where an employee stays on payroll but is barred from working, often to stop them helping a rival immediately.
from british workplace slang from the 1970s, imagining the sidelined employee pottering around their garden while technically still employed; the phrase caught on in banking and law before spreading worldwide.
still employedcontract and benefits continue, just no work
real purposestops you joining a competitor with fresh secrets
length variescan run from weeks to over a year
not a holidayyou can be barred from other jobs too
for instance
city bankers uk — routinely serve 6-12 months before joining rival banks
tech executives — increasingly used in silicon valley to protect trade secrets
law firm partners — common clause in partnership departure agreements