Non-Compete Agreements

I recently came across an article written by a veterinary internist about why he thinks having an associate sign a non-compete agreement is a bad idea.

To put it simply, the doctor’s opinion is that non-compete agreements are not necessary if your practice offers what an associate wants in a workplace. That is to say, if they’ve already got a good thing going, they’re less likely to look elsewhere.

I agree with his viewpoint. In my 30+ years of recruiting veterinarians for private practice, I have found that there are several ways to entice a doctor to accept a job and turn it into a career:

• Offer a competitive salary and benefits practice
• Offer guidance in the form of a mentor with regular check-ins and reviews
• Offer flexibility as needed
• Offer a positive workplace culture where all staff at all levels support each other
•  Offer something specific the candidate wants (you’ll know what that is by conducting intensive, personal interviews to get to know the person beyond the degree and experience)

Non-compete clauses have been in the news this year for being what many call bad business agreements. Many groups have cited non-compete clauses are bad for innovation, growth, and infringe upon employees’ rights. The Federal Trade Commission also began cracking down on companies this year that impose “harmful restrictions” on workers. Certainly, a veterinarian would face a different type of non-compete agreement than someone in the manual labor workforce, but certainly the recent studies showing the cons of enforcing a non-compete agreement would give one pause in any industry.

Do you make non-compete agreements part of your contract when hiring an associate? If you’d like to discuss the issue further, I’m happy to share the experiences I’ve had with clients who have and have not signed the agreements.

And if you’re in the market for a new associate, I’d appreciate the opportunity to explain how my team has earned a 93% success rate in presenting quality candidates to our clients within the first 90 days of the recruitment process.