For my career, I have never envisioned doing much job hopping. I realize it is likely that my first job out of college will not be my ideal job/company, which may lead to me changing jobs. But, I don’t anticipate changing jobs for the sake of maintaining this “every three year” mark described in the Fast Company article.
Something I hadn’t considered was a valuable skill I could get from switching jobs every three years. If I suddenly have to change jobs for any reason, it would be beneficial to have maintained that skill of obtaining a new job. Also by changing jobs so often, I will have maintained my ability to pick up things quickly. Even though I now recognize the benefits of changing jobs every three years, I will probably only change jobs if I have to, or I am just looking to try something new. Out of loyalty, I don’t think I would leave a job just to maintain my job hunting skills.
I believe that most non-compete contracts are not fair. It takes away to ability for an employee to negotiate. Since their company knows they cannot leave to work for a competitor, they don’t feel inclined to keep them happy with raises or bonuses. This leaves employees feeling stuck. Workers should have the right to A) negotiate with their employers and B) walk away if they feel the need to or have a better offer. I understand the need for these types of contracts in regards to trade secrets or other extenuating circumstances. Companies should have the right to protect their property. But then it becomes difficult to determine what constitutes a “trade secret”. In this day and age where a company’s most valuable asset is information, it becomes difficult to determine what can be protected by these clauses. There are definitely situations where these noncompete clauses become unethical. What kind of information is the 19-year old summer camp employee or the factory manager in his mid-50s going to disclose with their competitors? If those employees are really that essential to those companies, they should fight to keep them with pay raises or more benefits instead of trapping them in these lawsuits.
These articles have definitely made me rethink how I feel about company loyalty. I had never looked into noncompetes much, but it is definitely something I am going to be on the lookout for from now on. It makes me reconsider how I would go about switching jobs. If I ever feel the need to change jobs, I want to have the freedom to, whether it be because I want a new experience or I need to move to a new city. But as an employee, I want to be able to leave a job for any reason and be able to find a new job at the company of my choosing. I hope that more states pass laws against noncompetes like California, Massachusetts, and Utah. It seems to have helped Silicon Valley thrive and has proven to help raise wages. While I wouldn’t want to put more stress on employers by leaving every two or three years, I don’t want to feel stuck either.