You invest time and money training an employee, only for them to leave and use those newly acquired skills elsewhere. It is understandable why employers want to recover those costs. However, the recent Court of Appeal decision in Geeks Ltd v Watts [2026] shows that training clawback clauses must be carefully drafted and proportionate. Mr. Watts (W) joined Geeks Ltd (G) as a trainee quality assurance engineer on a salary of £18,000, rising over time to £22,000. Alongside his e
