Employee stuck in 90-day notice period despite finding replacement

An employee arranged his own replacement and completed handover but his current firm denied early release from a 90-day notice period.

The employer cited the role as critical and initially refused early release, then delayed confirmation after the replacement joined.

The employee had served approximately 60 days of the notice period, with a new joining date on 20 July at the new company.

The current company asked for one more week without a confirmed final date, citing CHRO approval for the HR service letter.

The new employer refused to postpone the joining date due to completed onboarding preparations including leadership visits and travel bookings.