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It’s actually fairly legal (in the US[a]). With salaried employees, what constitutes “on the job” work and what doesn’t isn’t as clear. With an hourly employee,
by colejohnson66 5y ago
It’s actually fairly legal (in the US[a]). With salaried employees, what constitutes “on the job” work and what doesn’t isn’t as clear. With an hourly employee, once they clock out, their thoughts are their own. Salaried employees are paid just for working there; especially if you’re “on call.” And when you’re talking about a game studio, a game made on your own time would be pretty easy for your employer claim from you.
NOTE: I do not agree with these clauses, and I wish they didn’t exist. But they are a thing and they are legal.
[a]: IANAL, and some states probably specifically prohibit these clauses
- Olumde 5y agoA contract that does not allow a person to practice their craft after their work hours does not seem to me to be legal.
- colejohnson66 5y agoYou said it yourself: it’s a contract. And the employee agreed to it. We can argue all we want about the power the employer has in the negations, but the reality is that the courts don’t like to intervene in contracts if they can avoid it (at least from what I’ve seen). If we want it fixed, we need legislation.