{"id":4933,"date":"2016-09-29T07:48:26","date_gmt":"2016-09-29T07:48:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplylaw.waydevelopers.com\/england-wales\/wiki\/restrictive-covenants-in-employment-contracts\/"},"modified":"2023-11-04T13:12:07","modified_gmt":"2023-11-04T13:12:07","slug":"restrictive-covenants-in-employment-contracts","status":"publish","type":"guides","link":"https:\/\/simply.law\/england-wales\/guides\/employment-law\/restrictive-covenants-in-employment-contracts\/","title":{"rendered":"Restrictive covenant solicitors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The success of many businesses is founded on what they know and in safely holding onto confidential information.<\/p>\n<p>When an employee leaves a business they often do so in possession of privileged information \u2013 for example the organisation&#8217;s client lists, contacts, strategies, intellectual property, data and internal processes \u2013 which, if shared with a rival, can have damaging consequences.<\/p>\n<p>As such, many businesses seek to enact restrictive covenants so that they are protected from the possibility of current and former employees sharing confidential and sensitive information with competitors.<\/p>\n<p>Not only can this prevent employees from joining competitors it can also help prevent the poaching of staff.<\/p>\n<p>If you are facing a challenge related to a restrictive covenant, speak with Simply.Law&#8217;s member employment solicitors for help in upholding your full rights under the law.<\/p>\n<h2>When is a restrictive covenant enforceable?<\/h2>\n<p>In order to be upheld by a court, a restrictive covenant must meet certain criteria, including the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It is proportionate<\/li>\n<li>It reflects a legitimate concern<\/li>\n<li>It is not overly restrictive of the employees choices<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Time limits in restrictive covenants<\/h2>\n<p>There is no rule dictating how long a restrictive covenant may last \u2013 they may last for half a year, a whole year or, in exceptional circumstances, as many as several years. However, courts must be satisfied that the time limit being sought is reasonable and proportionate.<\/p>\n<h2>Post-termination restrictive covenants<\/h2>\n<p>Employees are not obliged to accept post-termination restrictive covenants. However, when employers have compelling reasons for introducing them, employees may find it is also in their interests to accept.<\/p>\n<h2>Unfair dismissal<\/h2>\n<p>In the case of employees who have been working for an employer for two or more years, it may be possible to bring a claim for unfair dismissal if your employer has sacked you for failing to agree to a restrictive covenant. Employees of less than two years&#8217; service do not have this right.<\/p>\n<h2>Waiving restrictive covenants<\/h2>\n<p>In some cases employers may agree to waive certain restrictive covenants. However, the more influential and successful you are as an employee the less likely your employer is to agree to a waiver.<\/p>\n<h2>Restrictive covenants in settlement agreements<\/h2>\n<p>Simply.Law&#8217;s employment solicitors can help you ensure your full rights if you have been offered a settlement agreement, which includes post-termination restrictions. We can help you ensure that you are not unfairly restricted and that you receive compensation where appropriate.<\/p>\n<h2>Simply.Law&#8217;s restrictive covenant solicitors<\/h2>\n<p>Simply.Law&#8217;s employment solicitors can advise you on any issue related to restrictive covenants, settlement agreements and your post-termination rights.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you have worked in banking, brokerage, sales, technology or some other sector, our specialists can help you ensure your rights.<\/p>\n<p>For further information on our services, or to discuss contacting a member employment lawyer, please contact Simply.Law today. Alternatively, use our Simply.Law Match facility so that we may suggest the member employment solicitors most suited to your case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Simply.Law&#8217;s specialist restrictive covenant solicitors can help you uphold your full rights under the law.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7969,"parent":4307,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[12339],"tags":[8663,11679,11032,10368,9322,9411,10236,10459,9198,8970],"guides-category":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-4933","1":"guides","2":"type-guides","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-starting-a-business","8":"tag-banking","9":"tag-brokerage","10":"tag-employees","11":"tag-employers","12":"tag-employment-contract","13":"tag-employment-solicitor","14":"tag-restrictive-covenants","15":"tag-settlement-agreements","16":"tag-technology","17":"tag-time-limits"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Restrictive covenant solicitors - Simply Law England Wales<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore our comprehensive collection of legal guides covering various topics to help you navigate the complexities of the law. 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