A manager at a leading accounting firm has slammed the 90-day notice period that many Indian companies implement, calling it “inefficient and toxic”. In a post shared on Grapevine, an anonymous social media platform for professionals, the manager said that he had been trying to hire people for his team but the process had been an “absolute nightmare” because of their long notice periods.
India vs US and China
The manager, who works as a software developer, said that a 90-day notice period is the norm in India. On the other hand, the maximum notice period allowed by law in China is just 30 days. In the US, it is even shorter — typically two weeks.
“In the US, you give two weeks. In China, 30 days is maximum by law. In India? We hold people hostage for a quarter of a year. It makes zero sense,” he said.
Why 90-day notice period doesn’t make sense
The manager went on to give several reasons for why the 90-day notice period is outmoded and ineffective.
He pointed out that while hiring, HR teams expect people to join immediately or within 15 days — “but when an employee wants to leave, they point to the contract and say 90 days is non-negotiable.”
He also noted how a three-month notice period allows a candidate to continue looking for better offers after having already accepted one offer.
“A candidate accepts an offer on Day 1. They now have 89 days to interview elsewhere. By Day 85, they ghost you because someone else offered a 30% hike. And honestly? I don’t even blame them. The system forces this behavior,” he wrote, calling the long notice period the reason why “Indian employees are always offer shopping.”
3 months of dead weight
The tech manager said that long notice periods not only make hiring more difficult, the company where the employee works also suffers. After handing in their resignation, most employees do the bare minimum during their notice period.
“The exiting employee has mentally checked out. They are just logging in and doing the bare minimum,” he said.
He also rejected the claim that long notice periods allow for a “smooth transition”.
“You aren’t getting a smooth handover. You’re paying for three months of dead weight,” he added, ending his rant by calling the system “inefficient” and “toxic”.