If you’re looking to get more leverage out of your next job negotiation, the noncompete agreement that may very well be tucked inside your employment contract could provide an opportunity to just that.
Previously limited to the domain of corporate trade secrets, noncompete agreements have cropped up in a wide array of fields in recent years, from hairstyling to sales to yoga instruction.
One summer camp even included a noncompete clause in its teenage counselors’ summer employment contract, reports Steven Greenhouse in a recent New York Times article on the growing prevalence of noncompete agreements. Counselors at the Linx-branded camp in Wellesley, Mass. who signed the contract were barred from working at a competing camp within 10 miles.
Employers that have staff sign noncompete agreements are motivated by the desire to limit turnover and protect proprietary information such as client lists. After devoting significant resources to training new workers, organizations are loath to see them take their new skills, knowledge, and experience to their competitors.
