noncompete
Posted By: clk on 2006-06-20
In Reply to: Talking about the ones who say you cannot work for another national MT service. nm - nm
If they make you sign stating no work for other MT company they better pay you well and gaurantee the work. I hate it when you sign on with a company offering so many lines and you get maybe half -
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Not due to noncompete clause ..
I'm just talking in terms of other MTSOs will hear that you are going around town undercutting their prices and stealing their clients. They get mighty ticked and share that info with other MTSOs and then if you apply with them, they'll say Oh, THAT person and it will not help your case any. It's not a legal thing such as the noncompete, just kinda like a social outcast, for lack of better explanation! lol
If you are happy where you are, I agree you should stay. You have to remember that most of what you hear on the Internet is exaggeration. I take about half of what I hear, cut that in half, and THAT is how much I believe. LOL It's just too tempting when you are posting anonymously to add some flavor to your life story so I just take what I hear on these boards with a grain of salt unless I personally know the poster.
There is good money in having your own accounts but there are a LOT of headaches that go along with it, too. (For example, I'm dealing with a severely delinquent client right now -- big bad headache.) I enjoy it but not everyone is cut out for the business side of running a service so you know, the grass isn't always greener. Or to take a line from one of my favorite songs, the grass is always greener where the dogs are sh*tting. (Oops, can I do that here?? lol)
Sometimes I'd just as soon go back to working for someone else, even if it meant less money. I'd give up some of the headaches in a heartbeat but I can't give up the flexibility that having my own service affords. Too spoiled now! I have two children so that's the major reason why I enjoy having my own service. I can call the shots as far as what hours I want to work as long as the work is delivered within the TAT. :)
One thing I should add, though, is that I do pay a price for the flexible hours in that I don't get days off very often, and they sure aren't paid when I do (same goes for sick days). On the contrary, I have to pay someone else to cover for me on those days. And for the record, I do my own transcription and have a couple of subs who help out only for overflow or when I get backlogged, maybe once a month or so -- or if I just need a vacation -- so I am still very much a working MT!! I have seven docs I transcribe for so I am busy, busy, busy. I'm looking into probably hiring someone on for the long haul within the next six months because my workload is increasing by the day but I will always still transcribe, too, for as long as this body will hold out.
Anyway, my point of this long post is to say that for me, having my own accounts is not just to make better money, although that is a good perk, but about the freedom to call the shots. Since I make the contract, I make my the rules and if they don't like my way of doing things, they can find another service. Since there aren't too many in my area, they'll usually negotiate something that works for us both. :D
Many have signed noncompete re:
You cant just make contact with a client of a company - if you have signed a noncompete / no contact - if they are money hungry / desperate they will sue for any contact with a client - however, if they go out of business - no competition there.
Even if you did not sign, I am sure they would find a way to tie up your life and be an annoyance.
Just remember, they are serious on the noncompete
If you sign it, take the severance $$, and then apply at an MTSO, the new folks are more than likely going to want a reference from Q. I am sure Q is on the alert for this, and some bells might go off if you get a call to verify employment from another MTSO. Personally, I'd pay for a lawyer to wrangle it out, but I would never sign a no compete unless I seriously was not going to be in the business any longer. They have let go lots of employees in the past, and only selectively do the no compete, so I would honestly be worried about messing around with that. Wish I could be more encouraging, but, something is up these days.
Most noncompete agreements...
generally only refer to current clients, although it can include within X miles - X amount of time, etc. If the terms are too broad or restrictive (read FAIR by the Courts) the agreement is not enforceable. The Courts realize you cannot OVER-restrict an individual's ability to find work.
But if you want to target the same clients you have been with - this poster is correct, it all comes down to what the noncompete agreement says.
My attorney told me that noncompete clauses
are illegal and not enforceable because one person cannot stop another person from making a living EVEN if you sign that noncompete agreement. I went through it with both a pharmaceutical company and a transcription company trying to prevent me from working for their clients or competitors. I can see their point as an independent contractor when it comes to offering the same services and essentially stealing their clients. However, as a former employee, nobody can tell me who I will or won't work for. The second attorney is correct, and I would follow his advice.
Some states/companies have a noncompete thing going on. It took years for Diskriter to be able to
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