A voluntary separation package (sometimes called a VSP, a voluntary separation program, or simply a buyout) can also hit your inbox unexpectedly, with a very quick turnaround required to make a decision. If you’d been thinking about a career change in the abstract, having an offer on the table to start that search now, not later, can feel like way too monumental a decision to make in two to three weeks. Sadly, companies aren’t concerned about your specific timeline.

This guide covers what garden leave actually is, what you keep while you are on it (pay, health insurance, and more), the real pros and cons from your side of the table, and the question I get asked most: should you fight it when you already have a new job waiting?

But it turns out, I actually didn't have a non-compete in my contract. Only VPs and above had them. If I had not ever looked back at my employment agreement to check, I would never have applied to the job I hold today. That is exactly why this document deserves a real read. It decides whether you get severance, whether you can take a job at a competitor, whether you can call your old clients, and even what you are allowed to say about the company on your way out.

But finally! You have an offer after many applications, phone screens, and interviews. Except the offer is not for the amount you were hoping for. Or maybe they drop the bomb that while they want to make this a full time position, right now they are only approved for it to be a year long contract.