He is on the company's payroll but not working. Even his boss cannot stop it

After twelve years of loyal service to his organization, one employee recently found himself caught in a bureaucratic bind that neither benefited him nor the company. Sharing his ordeal anonymously on the popular subreddit r/IndianWorkplace, the employee recounted how a simple decision by HR created unnecessary confusion, financial loss, and a waste of company resources.

The employee had submitted his two-month notice on April 16, with his system-generated last working day (LWD) set as June 15. Planning ahead, he worked diligently with his U.S.-based manager to ensure a smooth handover. He adjusted his schedule, wrapped up all responsibilities well before the official exit date, and completed the transition by May 29. Impressed with his efforts and recognizing the value of a mental break before the next role, his manager agreed to waive the remaining two weeks of notice and proposed May 30 as the new LWD.

This decision seemed mutually beneficial. The employee would be paid through May 30 and receive encashment for 15 days of unused leave. Even though his new job began only on June 16—leaving a 15-day gap without pay—he was willing to forgo the earnings to enjoy a well-deserved break.

However, once HR got involved, the situation took an unfortunate turn.

Instead of honoring the waiver, the HR department treated the request as a recovery, not a waiver. They adjusted his 15 days of accrued leave against the remaining notice period and refused to grant the early release without what they defined as a “pressing reason.” As a result, he lost both the 15 days of encashment and the 15 days of salary he was originally willing to sacrifice—amounting to a net loss of approximately ₹3.5 lakhs.

Trying to find middle ground, he asked to revert to the original LWD of June 15 and proposed using his earned leave from June 1 to June 13, effectively minimizing his loss to just 15 days of pay. But HR rejected that too, citing a policy that disallowed leave during the notice period.

Left with no viable option, he resigned himself to staying on the payroll until June 15—without any work to do. His responsibilities had been fully handed over, and he was essentially benched. Worse still, HR’s rigidity meant that no replacement could be onboarded until his name was removed from the system, causing a delay in filling his role.

Despite his manager’s support and empathy, the damage had been done, he concluded. The HR not only failed to grasp the logic of the situation but also shifted the blame onto the employee, accusing him of causing confusion by “not making up his mind.”

Netizens React

Responding to the now viral post, one Reddit user wrote, "Indian HRs, like 90%, are dumber than an 8th grader."

Another observed, "I can literally visualise the HR saying those lines. They are the only people who would stick to the hardest ways of working even if there are easier ways to do the same..."