It depends I suppose. If your employer has absolutely no idea that you aren't happy, then I would say there is a communication breakdown going on. If your emplo

It depends I suppose. If your employer has absolutely no idea that you aren't happy, then I would say there is a communication breakdown going on. If your employees are 'testing the water' so to speak, and you are treating them fairly and paying them fairly then they will discover that in looking at other options, no harm, no foul. If you are treating them poorly, paying them poorly, etc.. they will also discover that, but then again they should discover that. I think this situation of employees looking around could really only upset people who desire the kind of blind company loyalty that simply doesn't exist anymore, for multiple reasons including a lack of loyalty/dedication from the employer. Double standards implies treating two people in identical situations differently. This is not the case here as employees and employers aren't in identical situations, there is a definite information/power asymmetry in play. Also, on one hand, there is a collusion between two parties. For an employee 'looking around' there is no collusion. Now if that same employee secretly tried to get his co-workers to quit and leave the employer high and dry at some vital point (or really any point), then they would be acting like just as big of douchebags as the kind of people that make these sort of agreements. But I haven't heard that is happening. I have basically heard companies say 'ohhh it is hard to retain super talented people because others are always trying to lure them away', yep, that sounds accurate. The solution isn't 'I know, let's all agree to NOT take each others good employees' but rather 'how can we stem attrition by understanding why these talented people are leaving and taking steps to fix the problem?' Then again I suppose making shady agreements over the phone is a lot simpler.