The UK&#x27;s approach is generally to have &quot;gardening leave&quot; - if you want to be able to ensure I can&#x27;t work for a competitor for 6 months after leaving you agree to pay me my full salary for 6 months after I leave in return for me not working anywhere else. It&#x27;s fairly common in the client facing world of finance for instance to stop someone walking off with all of their clients to a new firm.
For me at least it seems a fairly sensible compromise - 6 months in that example is really at the top end of the spectrum, usually it is 1-3 months. That&#x27;s plenty of time to have a holiday, learn some new skills and arrive at your new job refreshed and ready to go.<p>The length and scope of UK non-competes is fairly heavily restricted by the courts and the onus is on the employer to justify the business need. An example like in the article would be unthinkable.