> They would also give you a PC in agreement for continued employment for N years.

Do you mean that in exchange for accepting a PC, he had to agree to a multiple-year enforced contract? Is the right to leave a company even a right that one can sign away in the US? Would people really do that for a few thousand dollars? That seems shockingly close to indentured servitude... "we'll pay two months of your rent up front, but you can't quit for five years no matter what we do to you."

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Aurornis 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

No, you can’t force people to continue working at your company by contract.

These agreements work like signing bonuses. The compensation is given up front, but if you leave before N months then you need to return the compensation or some times a pro-rated version of it.

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to11mtm 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

There's actually a mortgage company that does worse; They call it the 'People Promise', and it sounds like a bonus, but;

1. It's actually a loan.

2. If you leave or are terminated at any point for the period, you have to pay back the ENTIRE loan amount.

3. Because it's a loan, if you -do- survive employment through the term, guess what, you now have to pay tax on the 'forgiven loan'.

4. If you don't take it, you don't get hired.

	▲	beering 42 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Number 3 sounds like nothing out of the ordinary? Any bonus you get from an employer, granted or otherwise, has to be taxed at some point. This just sounds like a weird signing bonus.
	▲	JoBrad 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Each of your points escalated over the last one, somehow.
	▲	Aurornis 2 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Why not name the company?

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majormajor 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Usually signing bonuses are "pay back all or a pro-rated percentage if you leave before [date]"

	▲	addaon 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Sure, but that's just lending you a computer at that point, unless they expect you to cover the depreciation cost or something when returning it.