Poaching Staff from previous emploter

[purplepolarbear]

I've recently started a job with a new company which is looking to recruit people.

What would you think if I called the good members of staff for a company I used to work with advising them of vacancies with the company I now work with and suggesting they apply.

I wouldn't do this unless I felt the people concerned would be better off, all things considered, with the new company, although the old company would obviously incur expenses recruiting replacements (the companies are not in competition). I also wouldn't gain personally from this at all.

Would you consider this a legitimate business practice or completely unethical?

[ymwoods]

Morally not right...but who gives a crap. Just tell them to say that they saw the ad in a paper somewhere...your old workplace has to proove it first

[singlecoil]

purplepolarbear said:

Would you consider this a legitimate business practice or completely unethical?

It's neither, the question is meaningless in this context.

Even if you were the owner of the new business, which I understand you are not, you would be perfectly entitled to offer jobs to anyone you like. It's up to the exisitng employer to make his jobs attractive enough so that people want to stay in them.

[RW774]

I doubt you would have any success. Most good staff take pride in their roles and are recognised as such.The good people would feel a moral reponsibility to their employer as a result of the trust and training investment by employer . That`s what we employers call loyalty .
Of course there is the chance the employer would be pleased to get rid of `dead wood` .Especially if you are stupid enough not to recognise them.
Your risk is, you could alienate yourself in your industry. Your employer may well have associates whom he has worked with in the past, who feed him work.If your attempted staff poaching upsets his working relationships YOU would be the one out the door.

[Manks]

purplepolarbear said:

I've recently started a job with a new company which is looking to recruit people.

What would you think if I called the good members of staff for a company I used to work with advising them of vacancies with the company I now work with and suggesting they apply.

I wouldn't do this unless I felt the people concerned would be better off, all things considered, with the new company, although the old company would obviously incur expenses recruiting replacements (the companies are not in competition). I also wouldn't gain personally from this at all.

Would you consider this a legitimate business practice or completely unethical?

I think it's a problem because you are creating a situation where you personally can only lose.

Your friends may hate the new place blame you for overselling the company. The company may not like your friends and their shortcomings will reflect badly on you. Whatever happens you will bear some responsibility for your friends being at the new firm and you might FEEL that their bevahiour is somewhat your responsibility.

If you think that having your mates around will make your work life better or easier you are probably wrong, given the way that social / employment dynamics work.

If you were being paid a recruitment fee, and many employers will pay thousands, you'll be compensated for any later inconvenience. But if you are doing it just to be more popular with your mates or your boss, I'd forget it.

Manks

[worsy]

Manks said:

I think it's a problem because you are creating a situation where you personally can only lose.
.
.
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Unless of course there is a dearth of hot totty in the new office and plenty in the old one

[Muzzer]

Manks said:

I think it's a problem because you are creating a situation where you personally can only lose.

Your friends may hate the new place blame you for overselling the company. The company may not like your friends and their shortcomings will reflect badly on you. Whatever happens you will bear some responsibility for your friends being at the new firm and you might FEEL that their bevahiour is somewhat your responsibility.

If you think that having your mates around will make your work life better or easier you are probably wrong, given the way that social / employment dynamics work.

If you were being paid a recruitment fee, and many employers will pay thousands, you'll be compensated for any later inconvenience. But if you are doing it just to be more popular with your mates or your boss, I'd forget it.

Manks

I disagree.

You imply that the OP is getting his 'mates' in on his new company or trying to impress a new boss.

I don't read his post like that. I read it as he has joined a new company that looks good and wants to bring staff on from his previous company who were also good and could do well.

You run the risk obviously of the staff not liking it or the company not liking them. But that's life - you explain to the staff that it's their risk to come over, you're not giving them any guarantees. As for the company not liking them - chances are they're good enough for this not to be a problem if you're confident enough to bring them over.

Just make sure there's not a clause in your old contract forbidding you from 'touting' for staff for a certain period.

[Manks]

Muzzer said:

You imply that the OP is getting his 'mates' in on his new company or trying to impress a new boss.

I don't read his post like that. I read it as he has joined a new company that looks good and wants to bring staff on from his previous company who were also good and could do well.

I take the view that people do what they do only because of what is in it for them. There is no such thing as altruism. If they are introducing other members of staff without tangible reward it is (in my view) because they perceive that someone will be grateful or bestow them with more kudos.

Muzzer said:

You run the risk obviously of the staff not liking it or the company not liking them. But that's life - you explain to the staff that it's their risk to come over, you're not giving them any guarantees. As for the company not liking them - chances are they're good enough for this not to be a problem if you're confident enough to bring them over.

Just as people aren't altruistic, they aren't rational or reasonable very often. So they will forget that the introduction came with caveats.

Incidentally I have had experience of introducing friends to my employer (when I was employed) and seeing others do similarly. It has backfired at some level most times.

For similar reasons I rarely recommend anyone to anyone else in business. If I am asked directly for a referral I say," I won't give you one, the best I can do is tell you who I use".

All of which may sound deeply cynical, I'm sorry.
Manks

[TooLateForAName]

Have you checked your old contract - does it prevent you from poaching?

[AJS-]

There 's poaching and poaching. If you call them up at work, during office hours specifically for that reason then it's a direct headhunt, if you are in contact with them anyway and mention the fact that your new company is hiring, and you're enjoying and think they would fit in there then it's legitimate chat between former colleagues who are also friends.

I think that covers it both morally and legally really, though I would be very surprised if you could be charged with anything or sued even for the direct headhunt approach unless your former employers contract very expressly prohibited it.

[cs02rm0]

If you're getting a cut of it and/or you think it offers better prospects for someone you thought was worth working with from the last place, do it.