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I work as an IT consultant and a midsized consultancy in a European country with generally good workers rights and protection. My understanding is they have fu

I work as an IT consultant and a midsized consultancy in a European country with generally good workers rights and protection. My understanding is they have full restriction. I have to ask for permission to do any paid work, even completely unrelated, like working a bar at a festival. They claim copyright on anything produced during my period of employment, which to me seems bordeline inhuman. They encourage open source work, but I think they can ask to have the company name in the copyright / license section if they feel so inclined. My impression is they don't really enforce it, it is more a blanket access for if I do completing work, they don't need a second opinion to be right. I still think that it is completely insane, but my union says it is normal.

weinzierl 7y ago
I'm curious: Could you tell which European country.
Silhouette 7y ago
There are other relevant considerations in Europe. For example, the working time rules could make it reasonable for an employer to at least require disclosure of any other paid work and potentially a power to object if it would leave them in violation of the law through no fault of their own. There's also an important distinction between work done during the period of someone's employment and work done in the course of someone's employment, if you're using the terminology common in the UK and I think various other English-speaking legal systems. The latter is, IME, commonly accepted as a reasonable standard, and roughly speaking means anything you do on work time or using work resources belongs to work. The former is a much broader claim and potentially includes anything independent of work as well, and is the red flag that should give any prospective employee pause.
- wodenokoto 7y ago
  > The former is a much broader claim and potentially includes anything independent of work as well, and is the red flag that should give any prospective employee pause. I read it as the former, and it did give me pause, but my union said, that is to be expected and I pay them money to complain on my behalf, so ... The thing you mention about potentially violating working hour regulations makes sense. I should also note that I don't have a none-compete. When I quit I can immediately start at any competing consultancy or even client. It's not all bad

weinzierl 7y ago

I'm curious: Could you tell which European country.

Silhouette 7y ago

There are other relevant considerations in Europe. For example, the working time rules could make it reasonable for an employer to at least require disclosure of any other paid work and potentially a power to object if it would leave them in violation of the law through no fault of their own. There's also an important distinction between work done during the period of someone's employment and work done in the course of someone's employment, if you're using the terminology common in the UK and I think various other English-speaking legal systems. The latter is, IME, commonly accepted as a reasonable standard, and roughly speaking means anything you do on work time or using work resources belongs to work. The former is a much broader claim and potentially includes anything independent of work as well, and is the red flag that should give any prospective employee pause.

wodenokoto 7y ago
> The former is a much broader claim and potentially includes anything independent of work as well, and is the red flag that should give any prospective employee pause. I read it as the former, and it did give me pause, but my union said, that is to be expected and I pay them money to complain on my behalf, so ... The thing you mention about potentially violating working hour regulations makes sense. I should also note that I don't have a none-compete. When I quit I can immediately start at any competing consultancy or even client. It's not all bad