Extreme staff contracting.

[Zynerji]

I think this may be the single largest abuse of the manufacturers wallet...

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/13256 ... s--renault

Thoughts?

[Jersey Tom]

Not at all uncommon in racing to have the "gardening leave" situation and sit out the rest of your contract if you intend to go to a competitor. I think that's perfectly reasonable. Typically though I've only seen this be less than a year - if in the last year of your contract you declare your intent to not renew.

Hard to judge not knowing the specifics of the person, their contract details, how much IP they developed, etc. Two years seems a bit much though I have to admit.

[notsofast]

If you don't like the contract, don't sign it. That goes for the employee who wants to join a team, as well as for the competitor who wants to hire that employee away from that team.

As for me personally, I probably wouldn't agree to a 2-year notice period unless it was mutual. Or unless the financial advantage were such that I could bridge a 2-year gap of unemployment.

[tpe]

I always was curious about the gardening leave.
So, who pays them? Nobody?

[zac510]

Mercedes is paying the gardening leave.

[Jersey Tom]

I always was curious about the gardening leave.
So, who pays them? Nobody?

You're paid by your current employer. It's not like you're without income.

So let's say your contract is good through the end of the year at which point you have to come to a new agreement. Instead, mid way through the year or whenever advance notice is required, you say you're not planning to renew.

If you're not going to a competitor, then that's typically not a big deal. Maybe you intend to get out of racing, focus on family, move to your home country, whatever. You just work through the end of the year, and that's that.

If you're going to a competitor, there are a few options. Your employer may decide to halt any flow of IP out the door and tell you to just stay at home. You are still paid, still employed, and because of that you can't start work at your new organization until the contract is complete. In a way that would be like a months long paid vacation. I've known people who have gone that route.

Alternatively, another person I've known described their experience in F1 slightly differently. Instead of being paid to stay at home, you have to come to work at the race shop, but you're put in "the departure lounge" sequestered away and given maybe some trivial things to do, but completely away from any access of company IP. Something to that effect. Not so much the paid vacation, but you're still paid.

[Manoah2u]

Instead of being paid to stay at home, you have to come to work at the race shop, but you're put in "the departure lounge" sequestered away and given maybe some trivial things to do, but completely away from any access of company IP. Something to that effect. Not so much the paid vacation, but you're still paid.

I know of many occasions where this has not been an option because in a lot of businesses this is seen as 'downgrading' and is a breach of contract. The employee has the right to deny in doing labour that is vastly different to his contracted or normal daily activities, and the company can not force employee in doing such labor. Additionally, the employee cannot be fired for supposedly 'refusing to work' as it is not unwillingness to work, but not in his 'expertise' or general field or even detailed area of work.

i have seen some cases where it went to court even and employee won, which really is no surprise at all, and because of 'tension' due to the whole court thing employee was given the option to end contract immediately with a payout which would normally be the duration of the still existing contract, given employee instant freedom to go to his new employer.

given, this was not F1, but the basic principle is the same.

[Zynerji]

Mercedes is paying the gardening leave.

My point exactly.

Their budget could put a huge amount of their workforce on gardening leave, holding the talent hostage from the lower performing teams.

[RZS10]

It's ironic that Abiteboul is complaining about it being unfair because they can't transfer any tech. knowledge from the big teams ... after signing Budkowski ... he really should just stfu

[Zynerji]

It's ironic that Abiteboul is complaining about it being unfair because they can't transfer any tech. knowledge from the big teams ... after signing Budkowski ... he really should just stfu

Maybe this situation is what drove the initial move on Budkowski...

[DiogoBrand]

So lenghty gardening leaves are not OK because it "prevents knowledge from spreading across the teams", but hiring a guy with information about technical aspects of every car is good.

Sounds to me like their business expansion is about just hiring anyone that can bring knowledge from other theams that can be useful for them to copy, and not allowing that to happen is unfair.

[dans79]

Sounds to me like their business expansion is about just hiring anyone that can bring knowledge from other theams that can be useful for them to copy, and not allowing that to happen is unfair.

Its entitlment to the nth degree.

[Zynerji]

Every team is where it is because of the shared personnel.

This is almost unsportsmanlike, like putting your reserve driver in for the last half of the season, and next, because your star driver signed a for another team 2 years from now...

This is just another form of outspending to maintain an advantage.

[Greg Locock]

If you've spent a million dollars (and the rest) developing a technical advantage and the goto guy on that project leaves for poor-bastard-team, is it not justifiable to delay his transfer of knowledge by legitimate means?

[Ennis]

If you've spent a million dollars (and the rest) developing a technical advantage and the goto guy on that project leaves for poor-bastard-team, is it not justifiable to delay his transfer of knowledge by legitimate means?

I'd argue it also stops people just paying crazy money for people when they really just want their previous knowledge.

Why spend $x developing, when you can spend less just overpaying a few engineers who already worked for a team who spent the $x developing?