"wage rates...have to be related to productivity" - Dave Brat (teabag)

[MANative]

5. Having been personally and directly involved in a non-compete litigation...

and as an observer in at least a half-dozen others in my former role in corporate HR, I can tell you that they aren't as difficult to beat as some will tell you they are. They are also typically only used in higher-level roles, most often at VP and above, or when an employee has direct and material access to highly proprietary info or process. There are usually rather generous "parting gifts" involved in those circumstances. One exec that I worked with last autumn got eighteen months salary and the non-compete voided. I personally hate the idea of non-competes and usually counsel corporate clients not to bother with them. They can be much more trouble than they're worth, on both sides.