Something that is related to this lecture that was not talked about is a "Non Compete Agreement". Usually bigger companies will make you sign a non compete agreement before you start working there which would prohibit you from leaving the company and then directly going to work for a competitor company. There are other fine details that go along with a non compete agreement and the specifics on how it is enforced. Has anyone been in a situation where they had to sign a non compete agreement? Has this non compete agreement affected you from getting another job that you want? Let us know your experiences. Thanks
I haven't personally had a non compete however, my mother did. She learned the real estate business with a small company and the owner felt that he didn't want her to take his secrets elsewhere after she left. She was under a non compete for two years. Mom eventually decided to leave and didn't get another job in real estate because the time was so long that she got a job in a different career field.
I have not personally signed a non-compete agreement. It seems as though in biotech that it would almost be a necessity. With the success of biotech organizations directly related to innovation, it is absolutely necessary to protect themselves. Without an NDA, company idea and secrets can be spread easily. That would have a direct impact on profitability and sustainability. That is especially true for smaller organizations that I believe need the protection the most.
I haven’t signed a Non-Compete Agreement, but I have had friends who had to sign it. Most NCA limits you on the number of years you must wait in order to work for the opposing company. The companies they will restrict you on will most likely have similar missions/products. It is understandable that the company wants to assure themselves that hiring you will not cause problems in the future.
Nuran Kavakli
I haven't personally signed a non-competent agreement form. However few of my colleagues did and they were having a tough time after their previous jobs. One of them have to be constantly working with her lawyer for getting approvals to work on her preferred projects and the other two colleagues had to end up paying money to the company they worked for as they broke the rule. Therefore I learned that I should avoid non-competent agreements if I ever have to encounter any in the future.
I have not encountered such a situation. This agreement looks wrong when we first look at it. As a result, it prevents an employee from working elsewhere. but I think this agreement is a good method. Many companies, especially medical device companies, are developing projects with a very high budget. For this reason, company does not want this project information to come out, and company does not even want a person working on the project to work on a similar project for their competitor.
I have worked as a contractor for major pharmaceutical companies and remember signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). I could not share any information with any other biopharma companies if I were to be employed by them. However, that never discouraged me from pursuing other biopharma companies since I knew I could share my work experience without disclosing pertinent information. Non-compete agreements protect the company's research and patent-pending devices from leaking to competitors.
I have not had to sign a non compete agreement. However, I am not certain I agree with the idea that some non compete agreements can prevent workers from getting a job in their field if they leave a position. In doing some research I saw that the validity and enforcement of a non-compete vary by jurisdiction and may require the former employer to keep paying the ex-employee a base salary during the non-compete period. In the future if I were required to sign a non-compete I would closely read the details of agreement being that it has the potential to affect a future job role if I were to ever leave.
I once worked for a beer distribution company. The job was fun and had its perks, but I wanted to make more money and they couldn't give me raises fast enough. I had to sign a non compete agreement before I was hired where I could not work for a similar company for 6 months after leaving and I could work in a restaurant that sold my product while working with them. I got a job offer as a bartender at a great bar and I really want to work there. I was not able to while working for the distribution company because it could look bad. If the bar started selling more of the product from the company I worked for, the company could get in trouble from other companies.
I have never had to sign a non-compete but I intend to work in the medical device or pharmaceutical industry after I finish this program so I most likely will have to sign one. I find the concept interesting but it makes sense to me as to why they exist because employees are often made privy to proprietary information and NDAs and non-competes curtail the sharing of that information.
