Difference between an employment deed and an employment contract?

[VivaLeBeaver]

Dh’s Work are getting them all to sign new contracts. Apart from they’re not called contracts, they’re quite specific at the beginning and end that it’s a deed of employment and because of this the signatures need to be witnessed. Though in the middle it gets to contract rather than deed repeatedly.

Why would they want a deed and not a contract.

It also states that if dh leaves the company he won’t work in the field for 3 months after he finishes. No paid gardening leave though. Surely that’s unreasonable to expect someone to be out of work, unpaid for three months?

I am a bit rusty on this but i vaugely remember something about intellectual property and deeds. And valid from when signed. Thats all i remember...

Oh the intellectual property thing might make sense. It’s the sort of field where the company would want to say they own intellectual property rather than employees leave and take ideas or knowledge elsewhere.

Thanks.

Hi Viva, it's the company's way of protecting their commercial position in terms of employees not being able to waltz off with all the knowledge about the company's product/service/discovery.

Surely that’s unreasonable to expect someone to be out of work, unpaid for three months? they aren't blocking him from getting any paid employment. They are just putting a contractual constraint in place to make it more difficult for him to jump ship to a competitor in their specific field for set period. 3 months isn't unreasonable, they could stipulate longer if they felt more protection was needed.

At least your DH knows the score and can decide whether he is willing to accept the constraints.

I thought when companies did that length of not been able to work for someone in that field they put their staff on paid gardening leave. He’s got a very specialised, technical role.....any other job he ever did would be in the same field. So yes, he’s refusing to sign as things stand I think.