How to get Gardening Leave

KiKi

Thurrock wrote: »

My heart is no longer in this job, I am leaving for a competitor and was hoping to get Gardening leave rather than go through the motions of working for 3 months when I would rather (and lazily) not work.

But the point is that the company will make that decision. It's not yours to make or inform. They are clearly a large organisation, and perfectly capable of assessing the risk of your leaving and moving elsewhere. They will offer it or not - Gardening leave isn't there to be 'taken', it's enforced by the company. I may be wrong, but you appear to be asking how to go about getting it - and you can't, that's the point. Any attempt to ask for it will be seen as a bit of a p*ss take and very unprofessional.

I was asking people if i was likely to get Gardening leave and if not was it acceptable to point this out to my employer although to say that is blackmail seems ridiculous. I thought it was an acceptable question on here.

You did not ask if you were likely to get Gardening leave! You said you wanted it (as if it was a right or something you can apply for), and whether or not reminding the organisation that you are privvy to some very confidential information would be more likely to get you what you wanted.

And yes, that could be read as blackmail. Maybe not outright bribery, but certainly blackmail. Gardening leave is offered at a company's discretion based on their assessment of risk. For an employee to point the risk out - then ask to be paid for not working for a specified period of time - looks exactly like blackmail.

Because if you were someone who wasn't going to divulge the information to your new company, Gardening leave wouldn't be necessary, would it? Simply resign, with the information of who'll you be working for. Your company will take it from there.

KiKi

FATBALLZ

Reggie_Rebel wrote: »

You current employer would probably be a bit daft not to give you gardening leave as you are moving to a competitor.

Why is it a bit daft to expect somebody to work for the 3 months you are paying them?

This thread is daft, 'how to ask my employer to pay me to have a 14 week holiday', good luck with that, sounds like they're well rid of you to be honest.

If you did try to blackmail them it wouldn't surprise me if they tag a bit extra onto the reference they gave your new employer. "We had to put this employee on gardening leave as he was worried he might accidently divulge confidential information to our competitors." You'll get much more than 14 weeks off with that kind of reference.

mark55man

FATBALLZ wrote: »

If you did try to blackmail them it wouldn't surprise me if they tag a bit extra onto the reference they gave your new employer. "We had to put this employee on gardening leave as he was worried he might accidently divulge confidential information to our competitors." You'll get much more than 14 weeks off with that kind of reference.

not the way it works at all

SueC_2

Thurrock wrote: »

My heart is no longer in this job, I am leaving for a competitor and was hoping to get Gardening leave rather than go through the motions of working for 3 months when I would rather (and lazily) not work.

I'd carry on with the hoping if I were you. It's by far your best course of action.