The 90-Day Notice Period Is Hurting Everyone - Here's How to Navigate It
What's actually negotiable, how buyouts work, what companies should offer to close the gap, and where Indian notice periods are heading | TopHire.co
Notice periods in India are absurdly long by global standards. In the US, most engineers can leave with 2 weeks' notice. In India, 30 days is the minimum, 60 is common, and 90 is standard at large companies. I deal with notice period negotiations on almost every placement.
What companies currently enforce
Service companies (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, HCL)
90 days is standard. Early release is possible but inconsistent. Some managers approve it quickly; others make it painful.
Large product companies (Flipkart, Swiggy, PhonePe)
60–90 days. Most are open to negotiating down to 30–45 days for candidates who've found a replacement or completed handover.
Funded startups (Series A–D)
30–60 days. Many have moved to 30-day notice periods to stay competitive.
Early-stage startups
15–30 days, sometimes negotiable to immediate.
What candidates can actually negotiate
Asking for early release
Most companies will consider releasing you 15–30 days early if you've completed knowledge transfer and your manager approves. Ask early — start the conversation in week one, not day 50.
Buying out the notice period
Some companies allow you to forfeit days of salary to exit early. The new company sometimes compensates this through a joining bonus.
Garden leave
Increasingly common at senior levels. You're technically serving notice, but not required to come to the office. You're paid but not working.
What hiring companies should do
1. Don't eliminate candidates based on notice period alone
Rejecting every candidate with a 60–90 day notice eliminates 60–70% of the talent pool, including many of the best candidates. A 90-day notice period with a strong candidate is better than an immediate joiner who's your fourth choice.
2. Offer joining bonuses to offset buyout costs
For a candidate earning 40L, 45 days of salary is roughly 5L. A 5L joining bonus is a small price to pay for getting your hire 45 days sooner — the cost of a vacant seat easily exceeds that.
3. Use the notice period productively
Share reading materials about the team's architecture and product
Set up their accounts, laptop, and access before day one
Introduce them to key team members via informal calls
Include them in team Slack channels (read-only if needed)
4. Consider overlapping hires
If you know a role will be open in 60–90 days, start the process now. Align the new candidate's notice period with the existing employee's departure. This eliminates the vacancy gap entirely.
What candidates should do
Be transparent about your notice period from the start — don't wait until the offer stage to reveal 90 days
Start knowledge transfer immediately after resigning — the faster you transfer, the stronger your case for early release
Negotiate before you accept, not after
Don't burn bridges on the way out — your current employer is your future reference
My prediction for the next few years
Notice periods in India are slowly shrinking. Companies still enforcing 90-day notice periods aren't retaining employees - they're just delaying departure while annoying them. The engineer who wants to leave will leave. A shorter notice period at least makes the transition smoother for everyone.
