Moving on from an organisation is seen as the start of a new chapter, one that is all about growth, ambition, and better opportunities. But in today’s Indian corporate ecosystem, this is complicated by long notice periods, sometimes stretching up to 90 days. What is meant to ensure a “smooth handover” is now being questioned as an imbalance that may hinder your next career move.
In a recent LinkedIn post, a senior content writer Nishant Joshi shared the story of his junior, a talented writer at a Delhi-based agency. The employee had secured a promising new role, but there was one hurdle, the new company required him to join within 30 days.
When he approached his current HR to negotiate an early release from the 90-day notice period, the response was firm. “Sorry. 90 days is mandatory for a smooth content handover. It’s about professional ethics,” the HR representative said..
Why the 90-days long notice period?
The employee responded with a pointed question, “Last month, when the company fired the entire design team on a Friday evening… where was the 90-day smooth handover then?”
Notice periods often function as a one-sided obligation. Companies can act fast when downsizing or restructuring, but employees seeking better opportunities are expected to adhere to lengthy exit timelines.
Joshi calls it “the biggest one-way street in the market.” He says that while organisations frame it as a transition strategy, it results in disengaged employees staying on purely due to contractual obligations.
In a competitive job market where hiring cycles are faster, rigid notice periods can cost employees opportunities while offering limited real value to organisations.
Expert answers
Kamal Karanth, Co-founder of Xpheno, told Financial Express (Digital), “The 90-day notice period was originally envisaged to provide clients with a meaningful transition of knowledge from one engineer to another. Given the nuances related to the client, the domain, and the technology, it was felt that this lengthy timeline was justified.”
However, he added that “over time, as attrition increased, IT companies found it was a good deterrent to keep people from leaving.” He pointed out that competing firms are often unwilling to wait for three months, and “software engineers used this 90-day notice period to shop for other offers,” with many even backing out of their first accepted offer.
“This has led to a new hiring norm,” Karanth noted, explaining that companies now prefer immediate joiners, and many candidates “resign first, then start hunting for new jobs” to improve their chances with recruiters.
He further emphasised that “this 90-day notice period is mostly a feature of IT services companies,” particularly in the 1–10 years experience bracket where attrition is highest, making it “a hedge they use to prevent losing engineers.”
Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The financial figures and strategies mentioned are personal to the user and have not been independently verified. This story does not constitute financial advice or an endorsement of any specific investment strategy. Readers are advised to consult a SEBI-registered investment advisor before making financial decisions.