Ryan Luft , owner of
Luft Law Group , is an Attorney in Greensboro, NC and an excellent resource for all your complicated legal questions. Ryan contributed this month's blog
Clients often ask me whether employee restriction provisions, such as non-competes, are enforceable. On a basic level, these provisions place restrictions on employees after their termination or resignation so that they cannot immediately begin working for a competitor, hiring away other employees of the company, or using customer lists. The keys to enforceability are specificity and reasonableness.
For
non-competes, courts will generally look to whether the restriction is of a reasonable duration and geographic territory. The reasonableness test is analyzed on a case by case basis. For instance, for a local service company, a reasonable non-compe...
I am often asked; do we really need an employee handbook? The answer is yes. The answer is yes whether you have 2 employees or 20,000. The answer is yes if you are a brand-new business or you have been established for 15 years. The answer is yes even if you would rather I said no.
Employee handbooks play a very important role in your company. They not only document your policies and procedures, but they communicate your expectations to your employees and can provide a shield to help your company mitigate risk.
Many companies believe they are too small or too new for a handbook. Both of these assumptions can lead to trouble down the road. In fact, small, newly formed companies are the best time to establish your rules, policies and culture. A comprehensive handbook not only documents your policies and procedures, it communicates and clarifies the expectations you...
