90-day notice period: Manager at Big Four firm calls long notice periods in Indian companies ‘painful’ and ‘toxic’

A manager at a leading accounting firm has criticised the 90-day notice period followed by many Indian companies, calling it “inefficient” and “toxic”, and saying it harms both employers and employees.

The remarks were shared in a post on Grapevine, an anonymous social media platform for professionals, and later reposted on X by Saumil Tripathi, founder of Grapevine. The manager, who works as a software developer at a Big Four accounting firm, said the long notice period has made hiring an “absolute nightmare”.

India compared with US and China

In the post, the manager said a 90-day notice period is standard practice in India, unlike other major economies. He noted that in China, the maximum notice period allowed by law is 30 days, while in the US it is 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,” the manager said.

Why the 90-day notice period doesn’t make sense

The manager listed several reasons why he believes the three-month notice period is outdated and ineffective. He said HR teams often expect new hires to join immediately or within 15 days, but insist on enforcing the full notice period when an employee wants to resign.

“HR expects 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. The hypocrisy is insane,” he said.
He also argued that the long notice period encourages candidates to continue interviewing even after accepting an offer. According to him, employees often secure a better offer during the notice period and then back out at the last moment.“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 behaviour,” he wrote, adding that this is why “Indian employees are always offer shopping”.

Three months of dead weight

The manager said extended notice periods hurt not only hiring teams but also the companies employees are leaving. He claimed that most employees disengage after resigning and contribute very little during the notice period.

“The exiting employee has mentally checked out. They are just logging in and doing the bare minimum,” he said.

Rejecting the idea that long notice periods ensure smooth transitions, he added, “You aren’t getting a smooth handover. You’re paying for three months of dead weight,” and concluded by calling the system inefficient and toxic.

X users weigh in on Saumil Tripathi’s post

Several users responded to Tripathi’s post on X, sharing their own views and experiences with long notice periods.

Abhay said the issue affects reporting managers as much as candidates. “Along with the candidate, it’s a pain for the reporting manager as well,” he wrote, listing reasons such as productivity hitting “rock bottom”, employees influencing others to leave, and daily negotiations for early relieving.

Prem questioned whether long notice periods are truly a problem for companies. “Is it a pain for the companies? No,” he said, arguing that if it were a real issue, HR teams would have already found ways to work around it.

Manu said companies often justify long notice periods by claiming it takes time to find replacements, but called this an excuse. “The reality is they did it to punish the person leaving,” he wrote, describing it as “a classic example of cutting off your nose to spite your face”.

Siddharth shared a personal experience, saying his first job had a 90-day notice period, but an HR error reduced it to 30 days. “HR did mistake and wrote 30 day notice period only. I served 30 only,” he said.