Garden leave

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In the United Kingdom, Garden leave (or gardening leave^[1]) describes the practice of instructing an employee who is leaving an employer (following a resignation, or having been made redundant or otherwise terminated) to stay away from work during their notice period. The practice is often used to prevent employees from working for the employer's competitors for a period of time.

Employees continue to receive their normal pay during garden leave and are covered by any contractual duties, such as confidentiality agreements, until their notice period expires.^[2]

The term can also be used when an employee is sent home whilst subject to disciplinary proceedings, when they are between projects, or where, as a result of publicity, their presence at work is considered counter-productive. The Tracey Temple affair is an instance of the latter case.

The term is frequently used in Formula One motor racing to describe what happens when valued technical staff choose to move between teams. In an attempt to prevent proprietary information about performance and design falling into competitors' hands, the engineer in question is placed on garden leave, sometimes for many months, to ensure that when he is finally able to join his new employer his knowledge is no longer current (or useful).