Guide · Fit first

Non-competes and moonlighting rules, in plain words

Beginners use 'non-compete' for every rule in the handbook. There are at least three different animals. A non-compete restricts work that competes with your employer — the nurse tutoring nursing students is fine; the nurse staffing a rival agency may not be. A moonlighting policy covers any outside work at all, often just requiring approval. A conflict-of-interest rule targets overlap: their clients, their vendors, their confidential information.

States draw their own lines. California, Colorado, and North Dakota broadly protect lawful off-duty work. Washington bars employers from restricting extra jobs for employees earning under twice the state minimum wage — with carve-outs for safety, scheduling, and duty of loyalty — and its supreme court narrowed blanket bans further in January 2025.

None of this tells you what your contract says. It tells you what kind of rule you are looking at, which page of the handbook to find it on, and which questions to ask HR — in writing — before you start.

Run your own numbers: the Fit Finder · the Real Pay Checker · the tax door

More in this cluster

• Dead time: the hours your hustle doesn't mention
• Week one pays like learning (about $4 an hour)

Checked October 23, 2026. Figures carry their sources inline; when a schedule changes, this guide is frozen until re-verified (see the method).