How to Make the Most of Garden Leave

When a senior professional signs up to an employment contract with a gardening leave clause, they accept that their employer will expect their full co-operation when the time comes. There is no professional contact with colleagues or suppliers, no working in the industry, and no networking in many cases. Some clauses are draconian. Let’s consider how you make the most of garden leave.

In the hazy delight after a job offer, garden leave clauses are rarely negotiated. There is little legal recourse once you have signed on that dotted line. Irrespective of the circumstances, you will have no choice but to comply once you have handed in your resignation. However, you are not limited to tending your veggies in the garden. You can turn this enforced break into a life-changing period of reflection and learning.

Firstly, take as long as you need to decompress. The period leading up to your resignation will likely have been incredibly stressful. Make the most of garden leave by taking a well-earned holiday with loved ones or friends and forget about everything. Future career decisions might seem a long way away. It is essential to reset mentally and physically at the beginning of any garden leave to undertake any subsequent activity with a clear head.

Garden leave is thinking time

Then it is time for some introspection. Into everything. There are few periods in your life when you have the freedom to step back and reflect with no financial pressures. Take the time to look deep within. What would you change about your life and career if you could? You might find that your thoughts go around in circles for a while as you won’t have the opportunity to act in them. Still, the simple act of contemplation without needing to come to a specific conclusion is beneficial for your mental health. Lose yourself in the possibilities for a while – your preferences will bubble to the surface at a later stage.

You can’t spend the whole period of garden leave navel-gazing. Seek some momentum in your life again. Immerse yourself in a few activities, courses, or seminars that you think would benefit you personally or professionally. Life is a journey of learning, and your brain will atrophy without any mental challenges. This is incredibly worthwhile even if there isn’t any direct correlation with your career. 

Most importantly, do not (I repeat…. do not) obsess about your subsequent career moves until towards the end of your garden leave. Contacting recruiters too early will annoy them if you cannot interview for the roles. Months of career planning will leave you jaded when the time finally comes. There are far more productive ways to use the time.

If you use it as an opportunity to reset, review and learn, gardening leave could be the best thing that happens to your career.

You will be happy to hit the pause button for a while. 

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This blog is shared with Job Seeker Duetists. 

Written by former recruitment ghostwriter Paul Drury (not AI).