Non Disclosure Agreements (What's the point?)

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Non Disclosure Agreements (What's the point?)

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Steve-3_5_7_9 SSChampion Points: 10832 More actions · Answer 1

GilaMonster (6/16/2010)
Steve-3_5_7_9 (6/16/2010)
Actually, this makes a lot of sense. Sometimes it is difficult to terminate someone, especially if they have great performance reviews, so having a NDA on record would simply this process.
In some parts of the world it's difficult to fire someone even if they have numerous poor performance reviews on file.

Sounds like a productive place to work 🙂

Are you talking about South Africa, or somewhere else?

spaghettidba SSC Guru Points: 105732 More actions · Answer 2

Steve-3_5_7_9 (6/16/2010)
GilaMonster (6/16/2010)
Steve-3_5_7_9 (6/16/2010)
Actually, this makes a lot of sense. Sometimes it is difficult to terminate someone, especially if they have great performance reviews, so having a NDA on record would simply this process.
In some parts of the world it's difficult to fire someone even if they have numerous poor performance reviews on file.
Sounds like a productive place to work 🙂
Are you talking about South Africa, or somewhere else?

Italy, for instance. It's practically impossible to fire an employee. He has to break the company's rules at least three times and be notified with a letter.

-- Gianluca Sartori

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 3

Steve-3_5_7_9 (6/16/2010)
Are you talking about South Africa, or somewhere else?

SA. Need multiple written warnings, proof of disciplinary hearings and the dismissed person can still take the case to the labour court.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Steve-3_5_7_9 SSChampion Points: 10832 More actions · Answer 4

Gianluca Sartori (6/16/2010)
Steve-3_5_7_9 (6/16/2010)
GilaMonster (6/16/2010)
Steve-3_5_7_9 (6/16/2010)
Actually, this makes a lot of sense. Sometimes it is difficult to terminate someone, especially if they have great performance reviews, so having a NDA on record would simply this process.
In some parts of the world it's difficult to fire someone even if they have numerous poor performance reviews on file.
Sounds like a productive place to work 🙂
Are you talking about South Africa, or somewhere else?
Italy, for instance. It's practically impossible to fire an employee. He has to break the company's rules at least three times and be notified with a letter.

So in Italy, would an NDA make it easier to fire someone, or is there still a drawn out process?

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398882 More actions · Answer 5

GilaMonster (6/16/2010)
Steve-3_5_7_9 (6/16/2010)
Actually, this makes a lot of sense. Sometimes it is difficult to terminate someone, especially if they have great performance reviews, so having a NDA on record would simply this process.
In some parts of the world it's difficult to fire someone even if they have numerous poor performance reviews on file.

Ooh, ooh, I work there!

I swear, about a third of our IT staff could fall into a bottomless pit and we wouldn't notice for a week.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

spaghettidba SSC Guru Points: 105732 More actions · Answer 6

It does, indeed. The point is that many employers want their employees to sign NDAs or non-compete, but they don't know that this has to be explicitly paid. If those agreements aren't paid to the employee or paid as part of the retribution (not explicitly) i will never hold up in court.

-- Gianluca Sartori

spaghettidba SSC Guru Points: 105732 More actions · Answer 7

Grant Fritchey (6/16/2010)
I swear, about a third of our IT staff could fall into a bottomless pit and we wouldn't notice for a week.

Do we work for the same company? 😛

-- Gianluca Sartori

Steve-3_5_7_9 SSChampion Points: 10832 More actions · Answer 8

...so the wise thing to do is NOT sign the NDA if you live in one of these countries/states then you're secure in employment forever! 😉

just kidding

Grant Fritchey SSC Guru Points: 398882 More actions · Answer 9

Gianluca Sartori (6/16/2010)
Grant Fritchey (6/16/2010)
I swear, about a third of our IT staff could fall into a bottomless pit and we wouldn't notice for a week.
Do we work for the same company? 😛

Could be. I'm not in Italy, but it's just as hard to fire people from this company as what you describe.

"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt

Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

Gail Shaw SSC Guru Points: 1004504 More actions · Answer 10

Grant Fritchey (6/16/2010)
I swear, about a third of our IT staff could fall into a bottomless pit and we wouldn't notice for a week.

Back when I worked at the bank I had a colleague that, had she disappeared into another plan of existence permanently, the team's overall productivity would have increased. We had to double check (and sometimes redo) just about everything she did, the days when she was on standby (for overnight production problems), we had to have a second person available as well.

Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Steve Jones - SSC Editor SSC Guru Points: 736212 More actions · Answer 11

It tends to be hard to fire anyone when you have an HR department in the company. They want to be sure the company won't get sued. I'm not sure it matters as I've seen people go quietly either way, and seen them sue either way.

I think we make it harder in the US than it has to be.

I have heard the NDAs and non competes are hard to enforce. However I don't know many people that want to test them.

steveb. SSC-Forever Points: 46733 More actions · Answer 12

Its the same in the UK, after you pass the 6 month probation period then it can be really difficult to fire people. There have been several high profile cases of people getting large payouts after being 'unfairly' dismissed.

Though this could all change under the Tories.

spaghettidba SSC Guru Points: 105732 More actions · Answer 13

steveb. (6/16/2010)
Though this could all change under the Tories.

I don't want to disappoint you, but when a government changes, the government itself is most likely the only thing that changes...

-- Gianluca Sartori