The Appointment Letter is a contractual agreement which two parties...the Employer on one hand and the candidate (employee) on the other...sign to give shape to a professional relationship. This agreement is a Contract of Employment. Once this contract is signed, both parties to the same are obliged to honour the terms and conditions stipulated in the contract. In the instant case, if the terms and conditions contained in the Appointment Letter requires the employee to give 2 months' notice upon resignation from the service of the employer during his probatipon has period, well I am afraid, the employee in morally and legally obliged to honour this commitment he has agreed to when he signed the Appointment Letter. Agreed your friend has found a better job and would like to take that up, well he will have either serve the notice period or pay salary in lieu thereof. Not doing so may attract legal action by his present employer if they choose to go legal on the matter. Just imagine a situation if the employer were to tell the employee after 4-5 days of his joining the company that they have found a better candidate whom they would like to employee in his place and asks the current emloyee to leave without any notice of salary in lieu of notice as per terms of the Appointment Letter. How would the employee feel. Employment is a two way process with certain eithical, moral and legal bindings and one should, in all fairness be awlays prepared to honour these basic commitments. In the present case, he has the following options: 1. Just walk away and join the new Co. without any reference to the present job. 2. Resign, serve out the notice period or pay salary in lieu of the prescribed notice and gracefully exit from the organization in a tidy manner with a relieving letter, Service/Experience Certificate, a farwell party etc.. The choice rests with the person concerned. Best Wishes, Vasant Nair 9717726667