Employee Handbook – HSBC Holdings plc - HSBC careers site

On the termination of your employment for whatever reason, or at any time at the Company's request,you must immediately deliver to the Company, or to anyone specified by the Company, any and all books,documents, records, computer hardware and software and other disks or tapes kept or made by you andin your possession or control relating to the Company’s business, your computer, mobile, blackberry, anymaterials, credit cards, keys, passes, cars, equipment or other property (including any copies, drafts,extracts, summaries or reproductions of such property) belonging to or related to the business of theCompany, or any other company within the HSBC Group, its or their clients, customers or suppliers andyou must not retain any other documentation or property of the Company, or the HSBC Group, in yourpossession or control.1.19 Competition Obligations1.19.1 Confidential InformationFollowing termination of your employment, you will continue to be bound by your obligations ofconfidentiality, as set out in Section 1.14. In particular, you shall not divulge, use, or in any other waycause to enter into the possession of a third party, any lists or details of customers, or products, or anyitem of confidential information, or knowledge that was gained by virtue of your employment, or in respectof which the Company or any company in the HSBC Group is bound by an obligation of confidence to athird party.1.19.2 Post Termination ObligationsSubject to any post termination obligations set out in your contract of employment, if you are a seniormanagement level (Band 3 and above), the following additional obligations apply on termination of youremployment for whatever reason:• For a period of nine months commencing with the date of the termination of your employment with theCompany you will not, whether on your own behalf or any other person, company or firm, solicit for thepurpose of offering or performing banking or related financial services, any customer or client of theCompany with whom you have had personal contact - whether by way of a meeting, telephone, letteror otherwise - during the period of 18 months immediately preceding the date of termination of youremployment.• During your employment and for the period of 12 months commencing with the date of the terminationof your employment you will not solicit or contact any employee of the Company with whom you haveworked during the previous 12 months or, in the case of termination, during the 12 months prior toyour termination, for the purposes of inducing them to enter a contract of employment or an agencyarrangement or a contract for services other than with the Company.1.20 Disciplinary1.20.1 Rules and ProcedureContravention of any of the terms of your contract of employment or the Company’s standards of conduct,rules, regulations, compliance requirements and other rules which may apply to you is viewed mostseriously and will normally result in disciplinary action (which could include dismissal) being taken underthe Company's Disciplinary Procedures. The Company’s Disciplinary Procedures are set out in the HRProcedures Manual, which is available on the GMO HR intranet (via Project Link) at your place of work.If you are dissatisfied with a disciplinary decision relating to you, then you can appeal to HR Connect(Employee Relations Team, HR Connect, Mayfields Court, Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead, Herts,HP2 4SE) or other person, as set out in the Disciplinary Procedures. Such appeals will normally be heldby a level of management above the level responsible for the decision.Full details of how to go about this and the steps that follow such an application are set out in full in theDisciplinary Procedures section of the HR Procedures Manual.1.20.2 Disciplinary Sanctions