Gardening leave has for many years been used by companies as a protectionist measure within senior executive employment contracts, ensuring any departure of key individuals has minimal impact on the reputation and ongoing success of the organisation in question.

It does not come without costs and risks. In this article Clarendon Executive’s, Emma Kieran, examines the pros and cons HR may wish to weigh up before granting garden leave to an exiting executive.

Garden leave, or gardening leave, came to prominence after it was used during an episode of Yes, Prime Minister in 1986 and describes the practice where an employee leaving a job – having resigned or otherwise had their employment terminated – is instructed not to attend the