Team Moves – Are They So Wrong?

Team moves have always been a tricky area for employers. While it makes good commercial sense to recruit an existing team with a proven collective track record from a competitor, it invariably invites a strong reaction from the competitor in the form of legal claims for damages and injunctions to prevent the hiring of the team.

This issue was considered in a recent Singapore High Court decision involving Jardine Lloyd Thompson and Howden Insurance Brokers¹.

The facts

After 17 employees resigned in April and May 2015, JLT brought claims against four of these employees, the new employer (Howden) and the recruitment agency which allegedly helped Howden to recruit JLT's employees.