Hi - does anyone know if Nike enforces non-competes?
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Not everyone at Nike signs a Non-Compete... but if you work in apparel/footwear development they would have made you sign one. And you would have been given an electronic version.
My original agreement was to sit out 12 months... and when I left 2 months ago, they decided to cut it in half and reduce it to 6 months. Per the agreement, they have to pay 50% of your salary while you sit out however long the agreement is... but there are not contributing to stock options or 401k as you are technically NOT an employee anymore... your just on the books... and you loose that Pre-Tax benefit and paying a bit more Taxes in the end.
The funny thing is that the amount of time is solely dependent on a recommendation by your direct manager to determine if there's anything in your head that is worth enforcing... so don't pi-s your boss off too much.
Give two weeks' notice... and even if they walk you to the door they have to pay you for the two weeks.
If you did deep enough into the Nike HR website, all of the documents that map out the exact process and questions and requirements are there. There's also a purely confidential Nike Employee advocacy line where you can talk through some of these questions can be we worked through.
Advice...
- if you do leave, make it so your last official day is the first day of the next month because they have to cover your medical benefits through the end of the month.
- Try to wait till the end of the fiscal because if you are still an employee when the new fiscal year starts, you get 100% of your eligible bonus even if you leave.
- They have to pay out PTO so try to collect as much as you possibly can before leaving.
- As i said, your boss's opinion/recommendation does count so get on their good side as much as you possibly can.
this is akin to asking if you'll be punished for flipping products you buy from swoosh
They can’t force you to not work. If they do they need to pay you until you can
One way to possibly avoid them coming after you is to not attempt to take any Nike proprietary data with you when you go. Not saying they won't come after you for your NC, but taking any Nike data with you is a great way to get their attention, like blood in the water for sharks.
Evaluated on a case by case basis
Currently very few NC’s are actually enforced. Prior to JD being in role Nike would enforce almost all NC’s as standard. As we are now more focused on cost this practice has almost phased out compared to prior years. Only those most critical roles connected to IP (Design, Innovation…) may be enforced. Also by level, all VP roles will be enforced but majority of E-Bands rarely get enforced anymore.
And can’t enforce in California so if your next job is California you are good. But agree with all other comments.
You should read the agreement you signed. It explains the process.
Also, you should know that the non-compete agreement you signed is legally enforcable because Nike agrees to pay you if they invoke it. Non-competes without compensation are generally unenforcable.
A major factor in whether or not Nike enforces it is where you would be working. If you are a designer going to Adidas, yes, they will probably invoke. it.
Depends on your role. Are you a designer, engineer, sales, or talent?? Yes.
Are you mid level office manager, supply chain, quality, or accounting??? No.
Yes, they do, sometimes.