"Zomato’s Zero Notice Period — A Recruiter’s Take"

This is something I personally have not really heard of before. Through my experience as a recruiter, I have heard of employees being let go immediately — but this is different.

Recently saw the discussion around Zomato and the whole “zero notice period” situation. Through my personal experience as well as my experience as a recruiter, I have heard of employees being let go immediately and put on garden leave, but those decisions are usually taken when there is concern around knowledge transfer, client relationships, confidential information, IP transfer or similar situations where the employee is moving to a competitor.

Apparently Zomato’s thinking behind this policy is basically: “If you want to be here, be here. If you don’t, don’t.” Meaning — employees can leave immediately but the company can also separate employees quickly as well. In a strange way, at least it is very direct and transparent from both sides.

One thing I am still curious about is whether “zero notice period” means the employer is not obligated to pay the employee for a certain period. If that is the case, then it becomes a much bigger conversation. The concern becomes even greater if the resigning employee is leaving without another role lined up.

Personally, I actually think garden leave is a very balanced approach in situations where a company is worried about IP, confidential information, client relationships, knowledge transfer or competitors. The employee still gets paid for the agreed notice period, while the business protects itself at the same time.

When you compare a notice period worth of salary vs the potential commercial risk of keeping someone in the business after resignation — especially if they are joining a competitor — garden leave does start looking like a pretty logical middle ground in certain exit situations.

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