Non-compete clauses and dismissal: where the official pages are

This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. Non-compete clauses are a link-only subject on this site, so the page only names which office covers them. It gives no summary of what either page says, because the office page carries the text in force. The dismissal section reports what three offices say about the process of ending a job.

Non-compete clauses: the office pages

United States: the Federal Trade Commission keeps a dated page for its noncompete rule, with a list of events and a status line. The status is on the FTC noncompete rule page.
Ontario, Canada: the provincial government covers non-compete agreements in its guide to the Employment Standards Act. The text is on the Ontario non-compete agreements page.

No state-by-state list is given here.

Dismissal: United Kingdom

GOV.UK says dismissal is when an employer ends a person's employment, and that the employer does not always have to give notice. It says a dismissed employee's employer must show a valid reason that they can justify and that they acted reasonably in the circumstances. It adds that the employer must be consistent, for example by not dismissing someone for something it lets other employees do, and must have investigated the situation fully before dismissing. It says the notice given must be at least the notice in the contract or the statutory minimum, whichever is longer, and that there are situations where a person can be dismissed immediately, such as for violence. On a written statement of reasons, it says an employee with 2 years' service has the right to ask for one, and the employer must supply it within 14 days of the request. The GOV.UK passages in this section are adapted under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Dismissal: New Zealand

Employment New Zealand says an employer must follow a fair and reasonable process when dismissing an employee, and that if it does not, the employee can raise a personal grievance. It lists what an employer must do: have a good reason, follow a fair process, meet the good faith obligation, and give the notice stated in the employment agreement unless dismissing for serious misconduct, or a reasonable period of notice where the agreement states none. It says an employer must provide a written statement of the reason for dismissal if the employee asks within 60 days of finding out about the dismissal, and must do so within 14 days of the request. The page says different rules apply to an employee who earns NZ$200,000 or more a year unless they have opted back in to dismissal protections, and to an employee on a trial period.

Termination: Ontario

The Ontario government's guide to the Employment Standards Act describes termination of employment as an employer dismissing an employee or ending the employment, constructively dismissing an employee who then resigns within a reasonable time, or laying an employee off for longer than a temporary lay-off. It says that in most cases, when an employer ends the employment of an employee who has been continuously employed for three months, the employer must provide written notice of termination, termination pay, or a combination. It says the Act does not require an employer to give a reason for terminating employment, and lists situations where an employer cannot end employment even with proper notice, such as where part of the reason is the employee asking questions about the Act or using a right under it. It lists employee groups not entitled to notice or termination pay, including employees guilty of wilful misconduct that is not trivial and has not been condoned, construction employees, employees on temporary lay-off, and employees employed less than three months.

At a glance

Office	Topic	Page
Federal Trade Commission	Non-compete rule status	Linked above
Ontario government	Non-compete agreements	Linked above
GOV.UK	Dismissal rights	Dismissal: your rights
Employment New Zealand	Dismissal process	Dismissal
Ontario government	Termination of employment	Termination of employment

For layoffs and the benefits pages that follow them, see the guide on slow season and unemployment insurance.