7 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

Thanks! I'll look into that. 

The wife has signed non-competes at work a couple times, and they've made her think she can never leave because of them, in so many words. 

It was largely a scare tactic to keep employees from jumping to a competitor and poaching other employees after they are out the door.   And of course to them, I guess it's extra security when it comes to the companies intellectual property, since the brain of the person walking out the door has part of that knowledge and may unknowingly use it down the road.

13 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

It was largely a scare tactic to keep employees from jumping to a competitor and poaching other employees after they are out the door.   And of course to them, I guess it's extra security when it comes to the companies intellectual property, since the brain of the person walking out the door has part of that knowledge and may unknowingly use it down the road.

My argument has always been pay your employees and treat them well and you don’t have to contractually restrict them from leaving. 

One area where non-competes in business seems valid to me is where the employer spends extensive educational dollars (undergrad, grad school, or even specialty programs) creating credentialling and/or skills that make the employee immediately attractive to the competition.  When that employee bolts before the company recognizes any return…..perhaps a non-compete or educational expense reimbursement agreement would seem fair.

On 6/21/2024 at 6:14 PM, Oldercoach said:

One area where non-competes in business seems valid to me is where the employer spends extensive educational dollars (undergrad, grad school, or even specialty programs) creating credentialling and/or skills that make the employee immediately attractive to the competition.  When that employee bolts before the company recognizes any return…..perhaps a non-compete or educational expense reimbursement agreement would seem fair.

I know of this exact situation and the company has people sign a contract that they will stay with the company X amount of years (Generally 4 or 5). If they leave early, they owe a prorated share of the expense spent on their training. This is due even if they leave for a completely different field of work.