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UK here. The current company I work at tried to get me to sign one. I took the contract to my solicitor who just crossed it out and said hand it back and tell t

UK here. The current company I work at tried to get me to sign one. I took the contract to my solicitor who just crossed it out and said hand it back and tell them to accept it or fuck off. There were no complaints. Sometimes you just have to push it.

n1c 12y ago
South African checking in; I've done the same with the same result.
cmdkeen 12y ago
Or alternatively get them to commit to paying you for the period of time. "Gardening leave" of a couple of months is common in many areas, especially sales / marketing driven - but being compensated for it is expected.
- custardcream 12y ago
  I don't really want that. It's a PITA getting a job lined up for when you've quit plus the garden leave time. It's easier when there's just notice to consider.
  - muyuu 12y ago
    If it's 18 months it's not so bad. A nice long holiday you can actually use to brush up your general skills and CV, or retake that side project you never had time to finish. You're still officially employed so it doesn't count as a hole (and if asked, you could not work during this period).
  - peteretep 12y ago
    Gardening leave means you still have a fully paid job, you just don't need to do any work. So you could for example do an MSc while getting paid a salary. Assuming you have the tiniest modicum of self discipline needed to do something productive in that time, it's the best thing ever.
    - wlesieutre 12y ago
      Sure, but if you're trying to have another job lined up, it's a lot harder to find one before you quit. "We need someone right away, can you start in two weeks?" "Sure, I'll put in my notice tomorrow." is going to be a lot more common than "We're completely sure we need someone new starting 6 months from now, go ahead and quit your job."
      - pyre 12y ago
        Well, if you're unhappy with your job, then you quit and use the 6 months to look for something new. I guess it doesn't really help when seizing opportunities that come along (that may be better even if you're not unhappy).
        wlesieutre 12y ago
        If you can absorb 6 months of not getting paid, yeah. Not everyone can, and while I've seen a lot of advice saying you should demand to be paid for the duration of a non-compete, I'm pretty sure that's not typical. Plus there's the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not you'll be able to find a job with comparable pay.
        pyre 12y ago
        This entire subthread was specifically talking about a 6-month severance package, so talking about not getting paid for 6 months is an odd thing to bring up. Quoted from above: > Gardening leave means you still have a fully paid job I'm thinking that people that can't afford to get paid their current salary for 6 months while not actually working for the company are in the minority, unless I'm missing some angle to this.
        wlesieutre 12y ago
        Ah no, I missed that part. In that case, it's just the uncertainty of what jobs you'll be able to find that would be a question.
deleted 12y ago
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GrinningFool 12y ago
I've done that in the US. There was a ridiculous non-compete, and a ridiculous "we own everything you produce, 24/7" clause. I crossed them both out, and signed. Nobody said a word about it.

n1c 12y ago

South African checking in; I've done the same with the same result.

cmdkeen 12y ago

Or alternatively get them to commit to paying you for the period of time. "Gardening leave" of a couple of months is common in many areas, especially sales / marketing driven - but being compensated for it is expected.

custardcream 12y ago
I don't really want that. It's a PITA getting a job lined up for when you've quit plus the garden leave time. It's easier when there's just notice to consider.
- muyuu 12y ago
  If it's 18 months it's not so bad. A nice long holiday you can actually use to brush up your general skills and CV, or retake that side project you never had time to finish. You're still officially employed so it doesn't count as a hole (and if asked, you could not work during this period).
- peteretep 12y ago
  Gardening leave means you still have a fully paid job, you just don't need to do any work. So you could for example do an MSc while getting paid a salary. Assuming you have the tiniest modicum of self discipline needed to do something productive in that time, it's the best thing ever.
  - wlesieutre 12y ago
    Sure, but if you're trying to have another job lined up, it's a lot harder to find one before you quit. "We need someone right away, can you start in two weeks?" "Sure, I'll put in my notice tomorrow." is going to be a lot more common than "We're completely sure we need someone new starting 6 months from now, go ahead and quit your job."
    - pyre 12y ago
      Well, if you're unhappy with your job, then you quit and use the 6 months to look for something new. I guess it doesn't really help when seizing opportunities that come along (that may be better even if you're not unhappy).
      - wlesieutre 12y ago
        If you can absorb 6 months of not getting paid, yeah. Not everyone can, and while I've seen a lot of advice saying you should demand to be paid for the duration of a non-compete, I'm pretty sure that's not typical. Plus there's the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not you'll be able to find a job with comparable pay.
        pyre 12y ago
        This entire subthread was specifically talking about a 6-month severance package, so talking about not getting paid for 6 months is an odd thing to bring up. Quoted from above: > Gardening leave means you still have a fully paid job I'm thinking that people that can't afford to get paid their current salary for 6 months while not actually working for the company are in the minority, unless I'm missing some angle to this.
        wlesieutre 12y ago
        Ah no, I missed that part. In that case, it's just the uncertainty of what jobs you'll be able to find that would be a question.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

GrinningFool 12y ago

I've done that in the US. There was a ridiculous non-compete, and a ridiculous "we own everything you produce, 24/7" clause. I crossed them both out, and signed. Nobody said a word about it.