[bsimpson]

I believe this is called "garden leave" in the Commonwealth countries.

[com]

“Gardening leave” is the polite fiction - much to do in your personal garden, so you are being given exceptional paid time off to deal with it.

I have genuinely spent a lot of time once sorting out the vegetable beds during a period of gardening leave. It was VERY therapeutic!

[Maxion]

Gardening leave is usually a term for a paid non-compete. I.e. you're not allowed to work in the same industry for 6 months, and you're paid salary for those months.