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> The handbook clearly said that an employee could freelance, if he or she
> did not reveal proprietary information. They were also allowed to take a
> PT job in the same industry, building the same general types of products,
> if proprietary information was not disclosed.
The handbook was probably written, or at least vetted, by lawyers who knew
that an employer cannot legally control an employee's off-hours life except
under unusual circumstances. Many employers don't get the message and many
employees don't, either, but there it is.
> The problem was that much
> of what we did and how we did it was proprietary. We did some things with
> Surface Mount Components that put us way ahead of the game. The average
> employee is unaware that what we did was often proprietary, and if they
> discussed our methods, they could cause us problems.
Owners of proprietary information are required to label it. An average
employee cannot be expected to know what is proprietary and what isn't
unless the info is labeled.
> Some employers have legitimate concerns. I know many people who took on
> other jobs, and most of them were useless to us because they were always
> tired. I am betting that some writers use their time at work writing or
> searching for clients, so I do see the concerns.
So do I. And the way to protect their concerns is with good management, not
with unenforceable agreements and blustering attorneys, right?
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