Rick Maher’s Professional Notes

Out of nowhere today I found myself in the first black and white moral dilemma of my life. I was alerted that my name was being considered for a position at the company where I am currently consulting.
My employment agreement is very clear - I am not to take a job in any capacity with a client of my employer for at least 6 months after the end of my employment.

The letter of agreement that my employer presents to any potential client is also very clear - to proceed with a project, both parties agree not to hire any employee from each other for at least six months following the end of the project.

My first reaction was flattery - I was flattered that my work thus far has been worthy of interest for a full time position on what I perceive to be a fairly prestigious team of my client’s.

Then came the guilt. One of the primary reasons for my company insisting upon a non-compete agreement with each employee as well as each client is because my company does not want every client to abandon the potential of purchasing services through hiring consultants on full time.

So, how did I respond?

I immediately thanked the client who let me know that I was ‘talked about’ as he put it. He definitely noticed my discomfort and put the silver dagger in the situation saying, ‘and no-one has to know about it at this point.’

At that point I briefly mentioned the non-compete agreement and politely changed the subject.

Next question, do I leave the opportunity open for myself and keep it between the client and myself or alert my manager and risk humiliating the client for trying to circumvent the non-compete?

I decided to alert my manager - my whole team for that matter. I’m confident it was the right decision, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a bit worried about the potential trust I may lose from the client as I assume the issue will be addressed over the next few days.