Restrictions
Non-solicitation
Prevents you recruiting the company's employees or approaching its customers, usually for a defined period after you leave.
Where to find it
Alongside the non-compete, in the agreement or a restrictive covenants schedule.
Search your document for: non-solicit solicit entice induce
Which version do you have?
Wording paraphrased for teaching. Yours will differ; the shape is what matters.
Usually fine
“Employee shall not directly solicit Company employees for twelve months following departure.”
Standard, narrow, and rarely an issue for a second role in an unrelated field.
Needs a question
“Employee shall not solicit or accept business from any customer or prospective customer of the Company.”
The word 'accept' is doing a lot of work: it can catch business that came to you. Worth understanding if your second role is customer-facing at all.
Ask this before you sign
- How is 'customer' defined, and does it include prospects?
- Does it cover accepting as well as soliciting?
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-competeRestricts 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.
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.