Employee resigns, completes notice period but stays on HR’s request. Months later, HR tells him to serve notice period again

Quitting a job is rarely simple, especially when notice periods and internal communication do not align. A recent post on Reddit has drawn attention after an employee claimed that even after serving his notice period and extending his stay on HR’s request, he was later told to serve another notice period all over again. The incident has sparked discussion online about workplace practices, documentation, and employee rights.

The employee, who described himself as a designer based in Delhi, shared that he had resigned in 2025 with October 1, 2025 marked as his last working day. According to his post, the HR representative at that time emailed him stating that he was expected to continue employment until February. The email also mentioned that if he left before February, he would need to give at least 30 days’ notice.

He said he chose to stay and continued working as requested. He added that he stayed out of goodwill because there were only three designers in the company. In his words, the workplace was “toxic” and his boss was not good, but he still agreed to extend his time with the organisation.

New HR, New Notice Demand

In February 2026, the employee resigned again, believing he had fulfilled what was previously discussed. However, he claimed that a different HR representative — since the earlier one had quit — responded with a fresh demand.

According to the post, the new HR stated that the previous HR “does not exist on our team” and that the earlier email was “considered null and void.” The employee was also told that as per his employment contract, he must serve a two-month notice period again.

Confused and frustrated, he wrote that he felt like absconding because he believed he had already effectively served the required time. He said he just wanted to walk away.

Online Reactions and Advice

The situation prompted several responses from other Reddit users. One commenter said he should have walked out on the last day of the original notice period and claimed there would have been little the company could do. The same commenter advised him to ask the company to specify where it states that the notice period becomes invalid if the original HR leaves, and to request that clause over email with his manager copied in.

Another user suggested keeping a copy of the original email from the former HR and pushing back, arguing that the communication came from an official representative who had authority to act on behalf of the company. The commenter added that if required, the matter could be taken to labour court.

When the original poster asked whether he should simply stop showing up and fight for documents later, the same commenter responded that if he did not need an experience letter, he could stop coming, but if he wanted official documents, he should try to resolve it through discussion first. The commenter also warned that court should be a last option and that legal proceedings could be costly.

A different user further pointed out that notice periods cannot be accumulated like leave days. The commenter questioned whether the resignation had been formally revoked and suggested that extending the last working date formally might have been a better approach. The employee clarified that he did not revoke his resignation but was told to continue employment during a busy season and assured that after February he could leave without further obligation.

Notice period frustration

In another recent Reddit post, a techie shared his frustrating situation where he got two job offers and both of which required him to join within 30 days. His current employer verbally agreed to release him in 30 days. But after his resignation, his current employer changed stance and insisted on notice period of 60 days, even though he had completed all his deliverables and there were no active dependencies. The techie claimed that he is being held back just for billing the client.