As a professional, it’s your responsibility to scrutinize “employee-first” and other similar claims in search of the truth

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/08/10
By: Robert Hayes, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

Every firm in the business world has some mention in their mission-vision statements, corporate news, or press releases about how they are an employee-first company, but this is almost always lip service. The vast majority of companies are only out to protect their own interests, even at the expense of employees, and they make their lack of concern as clear as day from the moment they hire people. How can you tell? Just look at the fine print of every employee contract. Or better yet, observe their actions.

Almost every employee contract will have a clause buried deep in the text stating that the employee cannot work in the industry for up to one year, sometimes longer, after they leave the hiring company. This clause may make sense for C-level executives or vice presidents who would have access to trade secrets and the strategic direction of the business, but companies can apply this clause to almost anyone, even fresh graduates who are working in an entry-level position.For anyone who is not an executive, a non-compete clause means the company doesn’t care about your career growth the moment you step out of the door.

If for example, a student graduates with a degree in finance and gets a job at a brokerage that requires a non-compete to work there, how can he realistically advance his career beyond that position? His whole education, background, and experience is in that field, but the non-compete would demand that he sit on the sidelines for a year if he leaves, not earning from his domain expertise.

It would be fine if companies compensated employees for following a non-compete, as they do with executives with what is known as the “golden handcuffs” or “golden parachute,” but they usually do not offer any remuneration for the rank-and-file staff that would need this most. The general attitude toward employees stuck with a non-compete and the inability to work in their chosen profession is “tough luck.” When these companies refer to their culture as “employee-first,” they might actually be referring to the shooting order of their firing squad.
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