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Recruiting from your previous company


tbone_

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So, something better than zero % chance I may be taking a new gig at a new company. Would basically be a national role where I am regional now. Essentially my boss’s boss’s job at a competitor.

In my current role I have coached up some really good people on our team.

Is it a dick move to steal people form your old company? Should I do it anyway?

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4 minutes ago, tbone_ said:

So, something better than zero % chance I may be taking a new gig at a new company. Would basically be a national role where I am regional now. Essentially my boss’s boss’s job at a competitor.

In my current role I have coached up some really good people on our team.

Is it a dick move to steal people form your old company? Should I do it anyway?

Does your current employment contract have a non-solicitation clause?

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Appreciate the feedback.

 

Interesting situation for sure. My current group is made up of nearly 100% great people. Not the least bit unhappy and could ride into the sunset here. Only reason I’m talking to the new group is the opportunity is to build an organization. And a multiple on comp.

 

I know the current environment has changed. My old school ways change slower though. 

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What's your relationship like with your current employer?   Are they a mega-corp with zero fucks to give or are you leaving a mid-market family shop who will hold a serious grudge?

What's the likelihood you will ever need to do business with them again?

 

I've seen this kind of thing play out and blow up in the face of the employee poacher when new employer doesn't live up to promises they used to lure a key employee who can poach former employer's staff.

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You might want to wait to start poaching until you know it’s a good spot. A bunch of people followed my boss’s boss two years ago, and he didn’t make it a year there after a few people followed.

If the people you want to bring over are all also regional people, not sure how that translates to national accounts. Something to think about in case it sucks and you still want to be welcome back.

Edited by StassneyHorn
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Legally it would be difficult for your former employer to go after you unless you signed an NDA that had a solicitation clause. 

However, with that said a former employer can make things very uncomfortable for you personally. Just because they won’t win in court doesn’t mean they won’t file a lawsuit anyway and force you to burn up a lot of legal expenses defending it. 

if you only take a few and stop, or space them out over time, you won’t get them worried about decimating their org and they likely won’t react.  

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1 hour ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Surprised a company big enough to have a boss's boss, doesn't have at least a boiler plate employee contract upon job acceptance.

There might be language in an employee handbook that was acknowledged when hired.  No idea about current legality or enforceability of something like that.

 

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51 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Legally it would be difficult for your former employer to go after you unless you signed an NDA that had a solicitation clause. 

However, with that said a former employer can make things very uncomfortable for you personally. Just because they won’t win in court doesn’t mean they won’t file a lawsuit anyway and force you to burn up a lot of legal expenses defending it. 

if you only take a few and stop, or space them out over time, you won’t get them worried about decimating their org and they likely won’t react.  

Some good advice on the thread and this part is very possibly true.  

Are you in Texas?  For a long time, it was hard to make even a bullshit lawsuit go away in Texas in the short term.  That has changed some, but I'll have to let the state court practitioners opine on that.  And, would your new employer be aware of and supportive of any such poaching or raiding scheme?  

One thing you have to watch for is potential trade secrets claims about some information, including customers, of the old employer.

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Ok I’ll be the codger and say it’s a dick move if you’ve been treated well all along.  It depends on the company’s size and impact of your leaving but since you don’t have an employment agreement it does sound like it’s completely up to you how you handle it.

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1 hour ago, Hefeweizen said:

Ok I’ll be the codger and say it’s a dick move if you’ve been treated well all along.  It depends on the company’s size and impact of your leaving but since you don’t have an employment agreement it does sound like it’s completely up to you how you handle it.

My feeling as well. You will also be burning any type of future recommendation/return role from the company should you unexpectantly need it. No one would blame you for taking a better job with more pay, but they will care if you start poaching people.  If they have treated you well, return the favor.

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I mean you can do it, but you are going to burn any remaining bridges at the old company. 

Up to you if that matters in this field, depending on how tight knit the field is word will get around.

Or if you are a few years from retiring anyway you might not give a fuck. 

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19 hours ago, tbone_ said:

In my current role I have coached up some really good people on our team.

Is it a dick move to steal people form your old company? Should I do it anyway?

You could coach up good people at the new place too, and not find out the hard way how small the world is.

Also, maybe some of your old team make it over on their own, in a way where you don't burn bridges.

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On 1/18/2025 at 12:07 AM, StassneyHorn said:

You might want to wait to start poaching until you know it’s a good spot.

THIS

If you take the entire team you are a dick and you’ll likely get some sort of litigation.

I’d think about your team. Is there someone you think they might promote to your old role on your team you’d be fucking over? Them staying in that role with a solid team could really help their career and grow them into a leader that could gain quality skills and experience which you could leverage down the road if you keep them in your network.

That being said, I don’t see anything wrong with taking a key player or two but I wouldn’t completely screw over my old company. If it falls to shit after you leave and you really do have a great relationship with your team they’ll reach out to you once that new reality sets in.

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Surprisingly good thoughts in this surly thread.

I agree with those saying it’s a dick move. Current group has been really really good to work with. Like best in my career without really a close second. I feel like the new group, should I take the new position, would be similar. If I didn’t think that it I wouldn’t even be considering. But you never know until you know.

No contract at current job. Not sure yet at potential new job.

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Here is the advice I was given, in an exit interview (about 100 years ago)....you hear didn't burn your bridges, but that isn't the whole truth. The truth is the thinks behind you don't really matter, it's the bridges ahead that you don't want to burn. The problem is you don't know where you will go later in life. 

But I never saw that guy again, so if you think that you have clear sailing, then I say burn away bitch, burn away

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On 1/18/2025 at 9:12 AM, MonkeyDoughnut said:

My feeling as well. You will also be burning any type of future recommendation/return role from the company should you unexpectantly need it. No one would blame you for taking a better job with more pay, but they will care if you start poaching people.  If they have treated you well, return the favor.

OP could lay low for a few months and get a feel for how the atmosphere at the new gig compares to the old job.  If it's much better, he could let his former co-workers know how awesome the new place is.  Talk it up on a semi regular basis, show how much happier he is, that kind of thing.

If new company needs some new dudes they could put a job listing on their website.  OP tells his preferred former colleagues "Hey we got a job posted on our website that could be a good fit for you if you're interested."  If they are looking to make a move, they apply.  If not, they don't. Spread it out over time for multiple positions until you get your squad put together.

A job was never blatantly offered and anyone in the business that saw the job posting could have applied.  Old company can get fucked if they think it's "poaching".

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