Facing a Dilemma: Should I Sign a 3-Year Bond with My Company After My Ph.D.?

I work for R&D FMCG Co and plan to pursue my Ph.D. The company wants me to sign a bond requiring three years of service post-completion of my Ph.D., which itself takes 3-5 years to complete. The company has stated that I cannot apply for a job or join any other company during my Ph.D. Additionally, after completion, I cannot join any competitors for three years. I am paying my own fees for the Ph.D. and do not wish to use the company's facilities. However, my college requires written confirmation that the company is providing me with these facilities. There is no monetary compensation mentioned in the agreement, as I plan to leave the company before completing my Ph.D. My Ph.D. is in the Pharma field, not FMCG, so no confidential information will be compromised. Experts, please advise.

Dear Vithal,

You could have written your post with a little more clarity. You have mentioned, "The company wants me to sign a bond with 3 years of service post-completion of PhD." Why does your company wish you to enter into a bond? What is their commercial interest?

What compensation will the company provide you to impose restrictions on completing your PhD course? Your post is not clear on whether your company will pay you a salary while pursuing a PhD. If you are going to pay the fees for the PhD course, then why does the company wish to impose restrictions?

To pursue your PhD course, will you resign from your job? Will you do a PhD through distance learning, or is it a full-time course?

Why does your future college want a certificate from your past company stating they will allow their facility to be used for your research? Is your admission to the PhD course linked to this certificate? If not your past company, is there any other company that provides the research facility?

Development feedback: Well, gentleman, if you wish to be a future research scholar, then it is high time for you to improve your written communication skills. Your post is neither compatible with what you aspire to be nor with a student who has cleared the UGC-NET. Please note that research scholars are not exempt from spelling and grammar mistakes.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Divekarji, I plan to pursue my off-campus Ph.D. The college requires written confirmation from the company that they will provide the necessary facilities. In response, the company wants an agreement with a retention clause of 3 years post-Ph.D. since they will provide these facilities. However, the company is not covering any fees or offering additional leave for campus visits. The agreement also stipulates that I cannot join a competing company for 3 years post-Ph.D. and must not apply for any job during the Ph.D. period. My research topic is pharma-related, while the company operates in the cosmetic industry. I hope this clarifies the situation. Hence, I seek advice on this subject.

Dear Vithal,

You have two options now. One is to enter into an agreement with your past company. It appears that this company is opportunistic. They also knew well that for your PhD, their facility will not be used. However, not only are they locking your career to their company, but they will do it without paying a penny. Now, whether to accept this proposal or not is your call. However, if accepted, and if the legal agreement is signed, then you will have to honor it. If you enter an agreement with them, then it will be an agreement between an individual and a business entity. Therefore, it will be out of the purview of the labor laws.

By the way, what if the company backs out of providing you with a job after your PhD? What if they provide you with a job but do not pay you as per the market standards? What are their liabilities in this case?

The second option is to approach a Pharma company and obtain permission from them for the use of their laboratory or other research facilities. However, while doing so, you need to be careful and find out whether they have facilities that suffice your research requirements. There should not be a mismatch. Nothing wrong if this company imposes conditions on you for post-doctoral employment.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Vithal,

Qualifications are the feathers in one's career cap, and the Ph.D. is one of the most decorative feathers among them. You mention that you are working as an HoD in one of the FMCG companies, indicating that you are a middle-aged person. I admire your determination to pursue higher education at this stage of life. Kudos to you!

However, before embarking on the journey towards the highest qualification, it is crucial to clear the UGC-NET and then proceed with the Ph.D. I understand my advice may be unsolicited, but please know that my intention is not to offend you. My daughter is currently pursuing her Ph.D. from BHU, and Ph.D.-related topics are frequently discussed in our household. The UGC-NET examination holds recognition worldwide. Given that you will be dedicating significant years of your career to this pursuit, it is essential to earn a degree from a university with universal validity. Ph.D.s obtained after clearing the NET or JRF exams are highly respected, even within India. Therefore, please consider this aspect carefully.

Wishing you all the best!

Dinesh Divekar