Private life any business of an employer?

[paulears]

He doesn't do PA work, which is his bosses business - he just sings in pubs and does a hobby thing - So he uses a small PA, but that's really it. I don't think he will stay with them for long.

[litemog]

A few years back I knew a fairly high level manager with Sainsburys. He was not allowed to shop in Tesco.

[Jivemaster]

Years ago I was being interviewed for a job as lab manager for a mining company. They were very concerned that I should have no connection with any other mining company who might have paid millions for the first company's exploration analysis.

[Dave m]

I understand the anti competition clauses, so you don't take current "secrets" with you, and things like police officers having to get permission so that any conflict of interest is open and above board.

 

I don't see why my employer has a right to know what MC I belong to, what I do as a hobby, what I do to entertain myself evenings and weekends.

so long as the company is not brought into disrepute.

[sunray]

I understand the anti competition clauses, so you don't take current "secrets" with you, and things like police officers having to get permission so that any conflict of interest is open and above board.

I don't see why my employer has a right to know what MC I belong to, what I do as a hobby, what I do to entertain myself evenings and weekends.

so long as the company is not brought into disrepute.

I personally think you have summed this up quite well but the more 'sensitive' employers will need to know more than the others on a sliding scale.

[bruce]

They aren’t necessarily interested in what you do as a hobby. They’re interested in whether you work elsewhere, and specifically if that additional work is liable to get THEM in bother with the working hours directive.

[mark_h]

A few years back I knew a fairly high level manager with Sainsburys. He was not allowed to shop in Tesco.

 

That sounds particularly stupid- they should encourage staff to visit the competition (as well as their own stores) so that they can make a comparison and see where their own company can improve. The is a big difference between visiting a competitor and working for them.

[sandall]

A few years back I knew a fairly high level manager with Sainsburys. He was not allowed to shop in Tesco.

That sounds like a wind-up, & about as likely in reality as many of the utterances of the Leader of the Free World

[James]

A few years back I knew a fairly high level manager with Sainsburys. He was not allowed to shop in Tesco.

That sounds like a wind-up, & about as likely in reality as many of the utterances of the Leader of the Free World

 

 

Many years ago I used to work for a company where it was a disciplinary offence to write in green ink....

[paulears]

The WTD reason surely doesn't hold water, as virtually everyone signs the piece of paper so they can work overtime, which so many people have to rely on nowadays to bring earnings up? The idea of employees not being able to work overtime always seemed a rather pointless requirement, easily solved with one signature. In an office yesterday, they were sitting there folding up leaflets on how to understand local English, and the WTD directive forms included in every new starter kit.

[ImagineerTom]

There are a number of working time rules relating to operating plant machinary, plant, vehicles, hazardous jobs, noisy jobs, all of which CANNOT be waivered away and for which employers are fully liable for ensuring staff do not go over the maximum allowances.

[Brian]

...hazardous jobs, noisy jobs, all of which CANNOT be waivered away and for which employers are fully liable for ensuring staff do not go over the maximum allowances.

 

And especially those where health monitoring is required.

 

Consider an employee who works in a noisy environment where annual hearing checks are required. Now what happens if that employee also gigs as a sound engineer for a thrash metal band in his free time and is stupid enough not to wear hearing protection.

 

At his next annual check-up he's found to have hearing damage. Who is liable?

[paulears]

I'm not really into rights, but this is surely employee restrictive - the possibility of compensation and distribution of blame overpowering individual rights? If legislation effectively ties an employee to an employer in this way, the legislation is flawed. I totally see Brian's point, but health monitoring is meant to be beneficial, yet an employer can use it to impose restrictions in what employees do in their own time. I find that impossible to reconcile. Surely, the employee is entitled to damage his/her health? The consequences would be determined by a court, and the metal band recreational activity used to mitigate liability? I think it totally unacceptable to control in this way.

[Stuart91]

an employee who works in a noisy environment where annual hearing checks are required. Now what happens if that employee also gigs as a sound engineer for a thrash metal band in his free time and is stupid enough not to wear hearing protection.

 

At his next annual check-up he's found to have hearing damage. Who is liable?

 

But he could just be a fan who's gone to an equivalent number of gigs as a punter, and probably sustained more damage if he's closer to the PA.

 

Or maybe he sits on the train every day with earbuds jammed in, playing at top volume.

 

I'm not sure how anyone can prove noise exposure is just from one place of work and not anywhere else.

[litemog]

A few years back I knew a fairly high level manager with Sainsburys. He was not allowed to shop in Tesco.

That sounds like a wind-up, & about as likely in reality as many of the utterances of the Leader of the Free World

 

He was a high level manager with a good overview of how the business operated. The logic was that if he was seen shopping at a competitor then it might be concluded that the competitor was offering better value.