Yes – but possible if he is peed off enough.

He has the potential to be quite vindictive, and he can play fast and loose with the rules (another reason I’m leaving). Which is why I don’t want to tell him where I’m going, nor do I want to cheese him off. I have already said I’m resigning and when my last day will be, his response was to put up the walls and try to stop me stealing clients and projects, which is something I’d never do.

I appreciate the advice- I’ll keep it civil and say I’ve not decided my next move but that it’ll be to the same type of role nearby. Hopefully that’ll persuade him to give me some garden leave but I suspect he’ll want to get his value for money out of me.

In a situation like this you’ll never get VFM as an employer, hence why garden leave is very common.

Sounds like yours is attempting to psyche you out, which is also pointless as you’ve already got one foot out of the door.

Certainly don’t give them leverage over you by divulging anything about your next role.

I posted something similar last year as I had an anti competitor clause in my contract, specifically naming my new employer. It all got a bit messy in the end. Mainly because I was honest with my exhausting employers of 10 years. Basically they wouldn’t allow me to go on garden leave, expecting me not to work for 3 months once my notice period had finished. It was spiteful, petty and basically highlighted why I was leaving the business. I played it cool and just kept records and referred them back to my contract as they did to me. It was a ridiculous situation when they took my customers and my staff away from me but refused to place me on leave. I could of been arsey with them around them changing my duties and by the terms of my contract my clause activated from the moment they changed my core functions. But in the end I decided to slide out the door and quietly start my new job ignoring the clause. Granted this was for a big company employing thousands of staff. So very different to a small business. I would personally be inclined to honest and civil. It always feels so much better when you keep a level head when others blow their load!