6 month "Garden Leave" for a European firm

Question

Dear all, I'd like to learn from your advice on “garden leave”. It seems that garden leave it quite usual for European firms. I've heard that firms such as OW has this clause.

Is 6 month garden leave reasonable and what are some considerations to take in mind to sign this contract? Would it be a huge barrier when I want to join a new firm in the future? 6 months is quite long and I am not sure firms would accommodate this if I can only be on board “after 6 months”. Welcome any thoughts, thank you!

Answer 1

Hi there,

Is it 6 month notice period or explicitly garden leave? I never heard about such a long time period, because you'll draw a salary without doing anything. It's more common to have a non-compete post employment termination (but still not very common).

Whether or not this is a deal breaker for the next role depends on what you're targeting (note: this is an incomplete list with generalized examples to illustrate my point):

Other consulting: No problem at all. Consulting offers are often valid up until 1 year. You'll be able to discuss with HR, who will accommodate the 6 months waiting period.
Corporate: This may or may not be a problem. Large corporates typically move slow and you may be able to negotiate a 6 months period between offer and start date. Especially if you're “one of a kind” with a highly competitive profile.
Start up: This is where it gets tricky because start ups typically move at a different pace, which is much quicker than corporates. They will likely not be able to accommodate your 6 months garden leave.

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Answer 2

Hi there,

You need to do more research on this for your specific company, role, and country!

Hard to advise here without knowing the legals. However, ultimately do know that, in most instances, these things are not pursued. If you leave the firm amicably, and tell them you cannot be on Garden Leave for 6 months due to a new role, there's not much they can do!

This isn't legal advice, so be careful. If you want a 100% correct and sure answer you need to pay for a lawyer!