A Yorkshire paralegal was recently prosecuted under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998 for illegally taking the personal information of over 100 people from their ex-employer before leaving for a rival law firm.  They had hoped to use the information, which included, work notes, document templates and sensitive personal information in their new role.

Unfortunately this practice is all too common particularly in the current economic climate where many employees are forced to leave employment as a result of redundancies.  They often feel bitter about this and may wish to retaliate.  More commonly, they believe the information will give them a competitive advantage in potential new employment.  They view the files they have created and worked on to be their own and therefore simply do not consider it to be theft.

As an employer it is vital to guard your company against employees taking sensitive information.  One of the best ways to do this is by ensuring specific restrictive covenants are written into the employment contracts of staff members who have direct access to confidential company information or hold a high profile role within the company.  In order for the restrictive covenants to be fully enforceable an employer must be able to show that they have given due thought as to who the covenants should apply to and have not simply written them into all employment contracts for the company.

At Backhouse Solicitors we are experts in preparing employment contracts for our clients.  We work with companies in many industries and will tailor the contracts to your exact needs.

The benefits for your business:

  • We will bring your contracts up to date – making you compliant with the law and reducing tribunal claims
  • We will prepare a template contract for your business – saving you time for each new recruit
  • We can include restrictive covenants and non-compete clauses – helping protect you from staff who leave

If you sign up to our Sentinel Employment Protection Scheme, from as little as £20/week, your business will also receive employment contracts and policies as part of your package. See our employer page here for more details.

Don’t leave your employment contracts to another day – contact us and speak to one of our expert employment law solicitors today:
Tel: 01245 893400
Email: info@backhouse-solicitors.co.uk
Web: www.backhouse-solicitors.co.uk