While garden leave can be frustrating, especially if you're keen to start a new business or a position elsewhere, it's often a legitimate demand from your employer under a contract of employment. Even though you're effectively being paid to not work, your employer may have a legitimate reason for putting you on garden leave, including: Where they expect you to either start a new company or join a competitor and attempt to 'poach' clients. Putting you on garden leave can buy them the time they need to put another member of staff in your place in an attempt to consolidate the relationship with clients before you're legally able to approach them. Where an employer suspects that your presence might have a detrimental effect on office morale; either because you're bitter about your dismissal, or because they expect colleagues to sympathise with your position. Where you've access to commercially sensitive information that might be useful to a competitor.