Recruiting is all about timing and relationships. Thrive 2.0’s Off-Limits (OL) system acts as a protective shield, ensuring you don't accidentally recruit from a current client or reach out to a candidate who was recently placed. Whether it’s an automated "Current Client" flag or a manual "Person OL," these indicators help your team stay compliant and professional.
Quick Reference
All Types at a Glance
Type | Category | Trigger | Who It Affects |
Contractual OL | User-Applied | Configured on project OL tab | Employees of hiring company, optionally subsidiary companies (not investment companies) + placed candidates |
Person OL | User-Applied | Manually added on person's OL tab | That person only |
Company OL | User-Applied | Manually added on company's OL tab | All employees; cascades to subsidiary companies + their employees (does not cascade to investment companies) |
Current Client | Auto-Applied | Project status → "Open" | All employees; cascades to subsidiary companies + their employees (does not cascade to investment companies) |
Current Opportunity | Auto-Applied | Project status → "Opportunity" | All employees; cascades to subsidiary companies + their employees (does not cascade to investment companies) |
Portfolio Company | Auto-Applied | Company linked as investment/subsidiary of tenant | Employees of that company |
In Project / Active in Project | Informational | Added to a project (In Project) and moved to interview or later (Active in Project) | That person only (visual indicator, not a restriction) |
🚩 How Off-Limits Appears to Users
The primary signal for an Off-Limits status is a Red Flag icon.
On Cards: A red flag icon appears on person, company, and candidate cards. Hovering over it shows a tooltip with the highest-priority active OL status name and notes.
On Side Panels: A chip appears with the red flag icon and text showing the OL type (e.g., "Current Client"). If multiple OL statuses are active, only the highest-priority type is shown on the chip.
OL Cards: Each status is displayed as a card on the person or company's OL tab. These cards include the type, related project/company, duration, the creator, and expandable notes.
Active in Project (Briefcase): This appears separately from the red OL flag. A Blue Briefcase (Outline) means the person is in early stages of an Open Project (Research, Vetting), while an Orange Briefcase (Filled) means they are in later stages of an Open Project (Interview, Offer, Hired).
🛠 Detailed Breakdown of OL Types
Thrive 2.0 uses six distinct types of OL statuses to cover different business scenarios:
1. Contractual Off-Limits
Time-bound OL tied to a specific project/search. Protects the hiring company's employees (and optionally subsidiaries and placed candidates) from being recruited for a configured period after the search.
What it is: A manual, time-bound restriction tied to a specific project to honor non-solicit or "hands-off" clauses.
Who can create: Any user with project edit permissions, managed via the project's OL tab.
Trigger: User toggles the feature on and configures the specific protection clauses (Hiring Company, Subsidiaries, or Placed Candidates).
Impact: Depends on enabled clauses—can affect employees of the hiring company, subsidiary companies, and/or specific placed candidates.
Duration: User-defined duration (e.g., 12 or 24 months) starting from a specific project milestone or date.
Editing: Yes—users can modify specific clauses, adjust dates/duration, or delete the restriction entirely.
Display: Red flag indicator and an OL card detailing the associated company, project, specific clause types, dates, and relevant notes.
Gap-Filling Logic: If a Contractual OL is set to start on the "Candidate Start Date" but the project closes earlier, Thrive automatically starts the OL at the project close date to ensure no window of recruiting vulnerability exists.
Example: Contractual OL configured with "Candidate Start Date" as the start trigger. Project closes on March 1st, but the candidate doesn't start until April 15th. Without gap-filling, there would be 45 unprotected days after the Current Client OL ends. With gap-filling, the Contractual OL starts on March 1st (project close) to ensure continuous coverage.
Note on Duration: Gap-filling ensures continuous protection but does not alter the configured duration of the OL. If the clause is defined as “1 year from Candidate Start Date,” the end date will still be one full year from the candidate’s actual start date — even if coverage begins earlier due to project close, offer acceptance, or hired stage. The duration anchor remains unchanged.
The Three Clauses
Contractual OL is the most complex type. It's configured through three independent clauses, each of which can be toggled on or off separately:
You can independently toggle protection for Employees (the hiring company), Subsidiaries, and Placed Candidates.
Clause | What It Protects | Who Is Affected | Notes |
Employees Off Limits (Company Clause) | Employees of the hiring company | All current employees of the hiring company | Primary clause — if this is off, the other two don't apply |
Subsidiaries | Employees of subsidiary companies | All current employees of the hiring company's subsidiary companies (not investment companies) | Inherits start date and duration from the Company Clause |
Placed Candidates | Candidates hired through this search | Each individual person placed in the role | Can have its own start date and duration |
2. Person Off Limits (Manual)
A manual OL applied directly to a specific person. Used when a recruiter needs to flag someone as off-limits for any reason not covered by other OL types (e.g., personal relationship, client request, do-not-recruit).
Who can create: Any user with "Person Edit" permissions.
Trigger: Manually added via the person's OL tab.
Impact: Affects only that specific individual.z
Duration: Requires a start date; the end date is optional. If blank, it remains active indefinitely.
Editing: Users can edit notes, dates, or delete the record.
Display: A red flag indicator and an OL card with details.
3. Company Off Limits (Manual)
A manual OL applied to an entire company, cascading to all employees and subsidiary companies. Used to flag an entire organization as off-limits.
Who can create: Any user with "Company Edit" permissions.
Trigger: Manually added via the company's OL tab.
Impact: Affects all employees of that company and its subsidiary companies (does not cascade to investment companies).
Duration: User-defined start date (required); end date is optional. Remains active until manually removed if end date is blank.
Editing: Yes — users can edit notes, dates, and deletion.
Display: Red flag on the company and all affected people; employee profiles show an OL card with a link to the parent company.
4. Current Client (Auto-Applied)
Automatically applied when a project moves to "Open" status. Signals that the client company is actively engaged and their employees should not be recruited.
Who can create: System — automatically applied; no manual creation.
Trigger: Project status changes to "Open."
Impact: Affects employees of the client company and its subsidiary companies (does not cascade to investment companies).
Duration: Active while the project is in "Open" status; ends when moved to Closed, Canceled, Lost, or Opportunity.
Editing: No — controlled entirely by project status.
Display: Red flag indicator and OL card with auto-generated note: "[Company Name] is a current client on an open project."
5. Current Opportunity (Auto-Applied)
Automatically applied when a project is in the "Opportunity" stage. A lighter signal than Current Client — the firm is pursuing the business but hasn't started the search yet.
Who can create: System — automatically applied; no manual creation.
Trigger: Project status changes to "Opportunity."
Who does it affect: Employees of the client company and its subsidiary companies (does not cascade to investment companies).
Duration: Active while the project is in "Opportunity" status. Ends when the project moves to Open (upgraded to Current Client), Closed, Canceled, or Lost.
Can users edit it: No — controlled entirely by project status.
How is it displayed: Red flag indicator + OL card with auto-generated note: "[Company Name] is a potential client."
6. Portfolio Company (Auto-Applied)
Automatically applied to companies linked as investments or subsidiaries of a VC/PE tenant's firm. Protects portfolio company employees from being recruited.
Who can create: System — automatically applied when the VC/PE tenant is set up or the default company is assigned.
Trigger: The VC/PE customer's default company is assigned or changed.
Impact: Affects all employees of the portfolio company.
Duration: Active as long as the tenant/company link exists; ends when the link is changed or removed.
Editing: No — controlled by the tenant-company relationship.
Display: Red flag indicator and OL card with a note explaining the link to the parent portfolio.
Key distinction: Active in Project is separate from Off Limits. A person can be both "Active in Project" AND "Off Limits" at the same time. They are independent indicators that provide different information to the recruiter.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What happens to Contractual Off Limits if I change the hiring company on a closed search? The system is designed to stay accurate to your current records. If the hiring company is updated, the system automatically removes the OL from the original company and creates a new OL record for the updated hiring company to ensure the non-solicit clause remains properly applied.
Why isn't a Board Member or Advisor showing as Off Limits? Company OL cascades based on active employment records. Since Board members and advisors often lack standard employment data in the system, they may not automatically inherit the status. An individual only shows as OL if they have a documented, active employment record at that specific company.
How do missing employment dates affect Off Limits status? The system uses dates to determine "active" status.
No End Date: The person is treated as a current employee and will remain Off Limits.
Past End Date: The person is considered a former employee and will not inherit the company’s OL status.
Can I put an OL on a company that has no employees listed yet? Yes. You can apply a manual or auto-applied OL to any company record. While no individuals will be affected initially, any new employees added to that company in the future will dynamically inherit the Off Limits status as soon as their employment record is created.