Whew, back from more politics meetings than I cared for and things must be hot all over if the list is any indication. I have consulted with Steve (as one of those that appears well air conditioned) and recruited his help..... a virtual beer for everyone.... and no griping or the bouncer (Steve) will get to select an innovative bounce method for the likes of anybody who, um, well he chooses to (but he seems to have a high tolerance). and now back to our regularly scheduled visit..... > Michael Harney wrote: > >This is why I absolutely refused to sign a non-compete agreement with the > >present company I work for. I plan to leave this town within a few years, > >and the non-compete agreement said that I could not work for any competitor > >or any other company related to my present job for 2 years following my > >leaving the company. Generally speaking the big deal of a non-compete (in the health fields) is that the holder of the non-compete can make your life miserable mostly. Restraint of trade is a big issue, and one cannot be prevented from earning a viable living in their area (although it may not be in exactly the same setting if it is the same kind of work). Some list geographic areas, or types of clients, etc. The dual sides of this issue (rights of the employer to count on things the worker has produced not leaving the company, and the rights of the employee to be valuable to a competitor if there is not a mutual satisfaction etc) is a classic power struggle. I am at a place where I don't sign them, and frankly don't think one should need one in a mutual relationship. Now not to dig up a red herring... I would sign something about intellectual properties specifically created for a company that I did not do on my "free time", and I do sign secrecy agreements for some companies I work with not to divulge their trade secrets. > Just out of curiosity... > How far do American employers go with that? Can you get non-compete > agreements that say you can't do the same job for a certain numbers of > years, or for a company located within so-many miles of the first employer > (or even for a company anywhere in the country), or both? And how often do > they get away with it? > > These kinds of agreements are not uncommon here either, certainly for > people with very specific skills. Often though, the terms are quite > ludicrous. It therefore often happens that when an employee wants to leave > and his employer wants to keep him to the agreement, the employee takes the > case to court and wins. > Jeroen Dee
