Restrictions
Non-compete
Restricts where you can work after you leave, and sometimes during employment. Enforceability varies enormously by jurisdiction, and several US states sharply limit or ban them.
Where to find it
The employment agreement, or a separate restrictive covenants agreement.
Search your document for: non-compete noncompetition shall not compete restricted period
Which version do you have?
Wording paraphrased for teaching. Yours will differ; the shape is what matters.
Usually fine
“No non-compete clause present.”
Increasingly common, particularly in states that restrict them.
Needs a question
“For twelve months following termination, Employee shall not provide services to any competitor within the defined territory.”
Post-employment only, time-limited and territory-limited. Does not by itself prevent a concurrent unrelated role, but tells you the company thinks in these terms.
Stop here
“During employment and for twelve months thereafter, Employee shall not be employed in any capacity by any business engaged in a similar field.”
The 'during employment' wording plus a broad field definition can reach a second role in an adjacent industry.
Ask this before you sign
- Is this enforceable in my state, and to what extent?
- How is 'competitor' or 'similar field' defined in the document?
- Does it bite during employment or only after?
What this clause means when you hold two roles
Reading the clause is one thing; knowing how it interacts with a second employer's agreement, where it sits in the self-audit, and what to do when two contracts disagree is the part that takes the work. That analysis, the agreement-review worksheet and the searchable library live in the course.
More in Restrictions
- Conflict of interestDefines what counts as a conflict. Employers define this much more broadly than 'working for a direct competitor', and their definition is the one that binds you.
- Non-solicitationPrevents you recruiting the company's employees or approaching its customers, usually for a defined period after you leave.
Generic wording written for teaching, not copied from any real agreement. Employment law varies by country and state. This is not legal advice — see the disclaimer.