A closer look at non-compete clauses.
Also known as restraint of trade or covenant not to compete, non-compete clauses and contracts have become common practice in the UK and across the world. While it's perfectly fine for an employee to set up their own business as competition, the clause prevents them from using underhand methods to do so. That includes using trade secrets or confidential information, which they've accessed while working for you, to build a business which directly rivals your own. However, in many cases, former employees will simply resort to stealing clients directly. There's no way to prevent this information being accessed by employees. After all, they need to know who your clients are and how your company works in order to do their job. That's why non-compete agreements are so valuable to companies like yours – and why it's so frustrating when they're ignored, breached and violated. Non-compete clauses can be violated by long-standing employees who have become unhappy at work. Or breaches they can be planned and pre-meditated by new staff, who get a job at your company with the sole purpose of stealing clients or other information. Whatever the case, it needs to stop. Comprehensive background checks can reduce the risk of dishonest people entering your company. After all, prevention is better than the cure. But without the benefit of hindsight, the best way to tackle existing violations is with a professional non-compete clause investigation.
How we can help?
At Hunter Investigations, we have a wealth of experience in private investigation, covert monitoring and gathering high-quality evidence without detection. All of this expertise can be used to track what your former employees are doing and prove a potential breach of their non-compete clause. Covert monitoring – Our skilled operatives can covertly monitor the activity of an ex-employee. We'll create a detailed log of where they go, what they do and who they're speaking to, uncovering any violation of their contract. Gathering evidence – Most importantly, we'll use state-of-the-art equipment to get high-quality images and videos which show exactly what's going on. Evidence can be used in court, where our trusted investigators are also happy to support your case. GPS tracking – Non-compete violations don't happen overnight. If you suspect a current employee of planning a competitive venture, GPS tracking on company vehicles can provide an invaluable insight into their activity. Investigating slander – In many cases, non-compete breaches go hand in hand with devious acts against your business. We can investigate fake reviews or the spread of misinformation to find who's acting against your company.
