SMRT CEO, Neo Kian Hong is on garden leave till Oct 1
Garden leave refers to a situation when an employee is instructed to stay away from work during the notice period, while remaining on the payroll - usually to put some distance between him and his next job, which could be with a competitor.
SMRT would not comment when asked why Mr Neo is on garden leave.
An SMRT executive said: "Most of us were surprised. He (Mr Neo) was supposed to be around for a while."
Another pointed out that Mr Neo's predecessor, Mr Desmond Kuek, had stayed on till the last day of his notice on July 31, 2018.
His e-mail account has since been deactivated and he remains uncontactable.
Dr David Leong, managing director of human resource advisory and search firm PeopleWorldwide Consulting, said: "There can be many interpretations to a garden leave arrangement. Typically, the board takes the view that if an incumbent may complicate operations while serving notice, or he may not be strategically or operationally aligned with the board's directive, garden leave is extended to avoid further escalated tension."
