"Non Compete" or "Lunacy"?
Don D
9,834 Posts
Here's an odd twist. When I left my prior company with two weeks notice last month, I waited until my very last day to say a word about where I was going. I was involved in a very orderly transition and chose not to discuss my future. When I left I placed maybe 25 or so letters in various mailboxes of friends and coworkers advising my destination. Out of pride for the new job, I even included a couple of website pages showing the new company. I even sent one to the owner. Now, out of the blue, I get a formal letter, certified mail no less, from the CFO advising that "You have a signed agreement stating you will not recruit our employees for a period of one year after your departure" and generally admonishing me for activity I did not engage in.
Long story short, I wrote him a stinging letter telling him that his training in accountancy does not transfer to or prepare him to negotiate legal waters which he has no business wading into. It really chapped me that he wrote the letter and chapped me more that I had to go to the post office to sign for it.
The agreement he speaks of, I suppose, is the traditional form every new ee signs regarding patents, rights to products developed, customers and proprietary information.
As much as I liked working with him, I invited the jerk to pursue the matter through his attorney.
Long story short, I wrote him a stinging letter telling him that his training in accountancy does not transfer to or prepare him to negotiate legal waters which he has no business wading into. It really chapped me that he wrote the letter and chapped me more that I had to go to the post office to sign for it.
The agreement he speaks of, I suppose, is the traditional form every new ee signs regarding patents, rights to products developed, customers and proprietary information.
As much as I liked working with him, I invited the jerk to pursue the matter through his attorney.
Comments
Welcome back ! Re your post, I would vote for "lunacy". Obviously, this CFO
was not one of your friends to whom you confided...
You went to a better place, and I wish you the best of everything !
Chari
So far unanimous - lunacy. O=*
Don, don't forget to update your profile and remove your old company info.
I'm on the side of lunacy and insecurity. You must have had a great following like you do here at the Forum.
I agree that you probably made the right decision to change companies.
Zanne
oops, I think my cynicism is showing x:-(
x:D
Welcome back! I for one missed your comments.
Don't sweat it Don.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman
Your former employer just did not have competent HR advice. But why involve attorneys and make them rich. You write well, so just send him a letter advising that you were simply staying in touch with old and dear friends. So sorry he missunderstood. That'll kill him!
Psychologically speaking, it sounds like separation anxiety. I see it here with one supervisor in particular. When an employee leaves, this supervisor does all he can to make it look like we really didn't need them anyway, makes them look like the bad guy, and damages their professional credibility. We had one previous employee threaten a defamation suit because the supervisor told the remaining employees that she left because she didn't like her new (smaller) office. We had to give him a good lecture.
Feel sorry for the guy. He misses you Then find out if he is damaging your professional credibility among your ex co-workers and threaten a lawsuit of your own