Your list of clients in Nevada links directly to the success of your bottom line, so you need to keep that compilation of names and contact information secret. If you are making reasonable efforts to maintain the secrecy of this data, and one of your employees leaves your company, you may be protected legally if he or she attempts to contact your clients.
Chron.com explains that the steps you take to ensure the privacy of your list may be essential to proving the former employee’s theft. Many of your bases may be covered by a carefully crafted employee contract, and one part of this document that may make a difference is the non-solicitation clause.
Within this clause, you can define how long an employee must wait before taking another job in the field. This prevents the worker from going immediately from your company to a new one, which stymies recruitment efforts by other companies that may be hoping he or she will bring along some of that client information.
Not only should the agreement keep your former employee from transferring directly to a rival business, it should also prevent him or her from personally reaching out to any of the clients on the list—at least for a specified amount of time after leaving. This gives you a chance to transfer them to another employee and make sure they are satisfied with the transition.
You cannot keep a client from contacting the former employee after your employment relationship ends, but you could add language to the contract that prevents any professional dealings for a given period. Although this information is provided to educate you about non-solicitation agreements, it should not be interpreted as legal advice.
