Absa Bank Kenya announced Monday that its CEO and Managing Director Abdi Mohamed, would leave on 30th June 2026 to “pursue other career opportunities” after 32 years at the bank. Of course, it emerged later that he had secured a CEO job at I&M Bank.
The drafters of the press release at Tim Sky Media, a local Kenyan PR agency, did the business media some good by using a rarely used but interesting human resource terminology. In the write up, the drafter said Mr. Mohamed would proceed on “gardening leave” while serving notice and would remain available to the board and management to ensure a seamless transition process.
For the casual observer that would quickly mean perhaps the CEO would be doing some gardening work at home as he awaits his last day of service.
Far from it. Garden leave (or gardening leave) is a practice where a departing employee remains on the company payroll during their notice period but is required to stay away from the workplace, perform no duties, and not work for anyone else. It is primarily used to protect confidential information and client relationships.
Employers typically place executives, sales staff, or workers with access to trade secrets on garden leave to prevent competitor access as this keeps the employee out of the market so that by the time they start a new job elsewhere, their knowledge of your business operations and data is outdated.
In addition, gardening leave protect relationships by preventing the departing employee from immediately poaching key clients or other staff members, besides ensuring smooth transitions without interference from the departing employee.
How It Works in Practice
Full Pay and Benefits: The employee continues to receive their regular salary and all standard benefits.
Strict Restrictions: The employee is barred from the office, forbidden from accessing company computer systems, and restricted from contacting clients, suppliers, or colleagues.
On Standby: While they cannot do active work, the contract typically dictates that they remain available to answer quick questions or assist in handing over their duties if officially instructed by management.
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