Supporting businesses to protect their interests in the event of team moves

  • A team move refers to when a group (two or more) employees move from one company to a competitor in a planned way, usually as a result of the competitor seeking to recruit or engage one or more of the moving employees. 
  • Team moves can result in the competitor having an advantage, such as taking several valuable members of staff at once, along with their business connections and existing relationships.
  • Team moves can pose a significant risk to some businesses, so should be planned for and legal steps taken to help avoid this type of scenario from occurring.

Key employees are the lifeblood of any business, and the contribution they make to the success, profitability and growth of the company is significant. If several such employees were to leave your business in a short space of time, and all end up working for the same competitor, this can have a huge impact on your business, so it’s essential that you take steps to minimise the risk of team moves occurring in the first place. Moore Barlow have the employment law expertise to ensure your business is prepared and protected.

Protecting your business against team moves

Every business is different and therefore requires a tailored approach to ensure that your company is adequately prepared and protected from potential issues like team moves. Moore Barlow are specialists in employment law and can help put in place the procedures and processes that will help you protect your business interests, both now and in the future. 

Some of the ways in which your business can be protected from team moves could include:

  • ensuring that senior employee contracts of employment contain enforceable post termination restrictions, which seek to prevent team moves to a competitor; and
  • ensuring that contracts of employment include a requirement that senior employees disclose competitor approaches. 

It’s important that employment contracts which include measures such as these are drafted in alignment with expert legal advice, to ensure that the clauses are enforceable and meet the requirements to be legally binding, in accordance with current legislation. At Moore Barlow, we work with businesses across the country, offering specialist employment law support to protect the company from issues such as team moves, along with other business risks and employment matters.Our experienced team are based across our offices in London, Lymington, Southampton, Guildford, Woking and Richmond and we offer expert support to clients nationwide.