“employee intending to work” is a legal term in New Zealand employment law.

Once an Individual Employment Agreement (IEA) has been signed (ahead of starting a new job) the new employee is governed by all the Ts and Cs in their IEA.

I’ve started to notice a bit of a trend over the last few months where employees appear to be playing one employer off against another (hopefully, the first employer doesn’t know they’re aiding and abetting!).

It’s not a nice thing to do.

New Zealand is a small country and word gets out.

When you consider that most veterinary clinics have waited months for their new employee to start, resigning before they even step foot in the clinic is pretty rude.

Veterinary clinics have the right to redress, if they want.

The employment lawyer who first told me about this aspect of NZ employment law – Glenys Steele of About Best Practice Employment Law is worth checking out.

And here’s an article by Turner Hopkins on the subject – employee intending to start work.