Exits, Separation & Redundancy Glossary
Exits, separation, and redundancy cover the end of the employment relationship — how people leave, whether by resignation, redundancy, or restructuring, and how organisations manage that departure well. This topic gathers the exit and separation terms, each defined on its own page.
The vocabulary spans the voluntary and the involuntary. Notice periods, garden leave, and counteroffers govern a resignation; redundancy, reduction in force, severance, and constructive dismissal govern an employer-led exit; and offboarding, exit interviews, and outplacement determine whether a departure is handled with care. How an organisation treats leavers shapes its reputation and its ability to rehire.
In India and across GCCs, the statutory and contractual detail here — notice, buyouts, severance — carries real weight for senior exits. The terms below give HR and leaders a shared vocabulary for the end of the employment journey.
13 terms in this topic · see all 277 in the A–Z glossary →
Terms 13
Boomerang Employee A boomerang employee is someone who leaves an organisation and later returns to work there again. Boomerangs bring outside experience and fresh perspective while needing a shorter ramp-up than a wholly external hire, because they already know the culture and systems. Read Constructive Dismissal Constructive dismissal is when an employee resigns because the employer’s conduct has made continuing to work intolerable or fundamentally breached the employment contract, and the resignation is treated in law as if the employer had dismissed the person. Examples include unilateral demotions, significant pay cuts, harassment, or a forced relocation the contract does not permit. Read Counteroffer A counteroffer is an improved offer an employer makes to retain an employee who has resigned. A high rate of counteroffers is a signal of a tight, candidate-favourable talent market where employers fight harder to keep scarce people. Read Exit Interview An exit interview is a structured conversation with a departing employee, usually near their last day, to understand why they are leaving and gather feedback on their experience. The insight is used to improve retention, management, and workplace conditions. Read Furlough A furlough is a temporary, usually unpaid or reduced-pay suspension of work during which employees remain employed and are expected to return. Employers use furloughs to cut costs quickly in a downturn without permanently losing staff, distinguishing it from a layoff or redundancy, which ends the employment relationship. Read Garden Leave Garden leave is a period during which a resigning employee remains on payroll but away from work — protecting confidential information and client relationships before they join a competitor. The employee stays legally employed, and bound by their duties, while not performing their role. Read Notice Period A notice period is the time an employee must serve between resigning and leaving an organisation, commonly 30 to 90 days in India. It directly affects how quickly a new hire can actually join, and is a defining feature of the Indian hiring timeline. Read Notice-Period Buyout A notice-period buyout is when a new employer compensates a candidate, or their former employer, to shorten or waive the notice period so the candidate can join sooner. It converts waiting time into a payment, trading money for speed. Read Offboarding Offboarding is the structured process of managing an employee’s exit from an organisation — whether they resign, retire, or are let go. It covers the handover of work, knowledge transfer, return of assets, revoking of access, final settlement, and the exit interview. Read Outplacement Outplacement is the support an employer provides to workers it is letting go — typically career coaching, CV and interview help, and job-search assistance — to help them find new employment more quickly. It is a service offered to departing employees during redundancy, restructuring, or layoffs. Read Reduction in Force RIF A reduction in force (RIF) is a permanent reduction of an organisation’s headcount, usually driven by cost pressure, restructuring, or a change in strategy. Unlike a furlough, a RIF permanently eliminates roles rather than pausing them, and unlike a performance dismissal, it targets positions rather than individuals. Read Redundancy Redundancy is the termination of employment because a role is no longer needed — for example when work reduces, a function is restructured, closed, or relocated — rather than because of the employee’s conduct or performance. It is a dismissal aimed at a position, not a person, and is usually accompanied by notice and statutory compensation. Read Severance Pay Severance pay is the compensation an employer provides to an employee when their employment ends involuntarily — typically through redundancy, retrenchment, or restructuring rather than misconduct. It usually reflects the employee’s length of service and is intended to support them through the transition to new work. ReadFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between redundancy and dismissal?
Redundancy is when a role, not the person, is no longer needed — an involuntary exit driven by business change, usually attracting severance. Dismissal is ending employment because of the individual, whether for performance or conduct. One is about the job; the other about the person.
What is garden leave?
Garden leave is when an employee serving notice is asked to stay away from work while still paid and employed. It keeps them out of the market and away from sensitive information during the notice period.
What is a notice-period buyout?
A notice-period buyout is when a new employer, or the employee, pays to shorten or waive the notice owed to a current employer, so the person can join sooner. It is common in India for in-demand senior hires.
What is outplacement?
Outplacement is support an employer provides to departing employees — career coaching, CV help, and job-search assistance — usually after redundancy. It eases the transition and protects the employer’s reputation.