My Run-in with the ‘Stanton Contract’ Thing
So, people talk about contracts, right? Sometimes you just sign stuff, other times it feels… off. I had this one time, reminded me of what some folks might call a ‘Stanton Contract’ situation, though maybe that’s just what I call it in my head now.
I started this gig at a smaller outfit, pretty excited. Everything seemed cool during the interview and the first week. Then, maybe two weeks in, the boss, let’s call him Stanton, slides this extra paper across the desk. “Just a standard addendum,” he says, real casual like. Didn’t even look up.
Now, I’m not usually paranoid, but the way he did it felt weird. So, I didn’t just sign it there. I told him I’d read it over that evening. Took it home. And man, it wasn’t exactly ‘standard’ to me. It had some real head-scratchers in there:
- A non-compete clause that basically covered the entire industry, everywhere, forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but it felt like it.
- Some weird language about intellectual property, saying anything I thought of, even in my sleep, related to the business belonged to them. Seriously.
- An odd bit about mandatory overtime without extra pay, phrased in a really sneaky way.
I sat there, reading it over and over. Didn’t feel right. My gut was screaming. This wasn’t just paperwork; it felt like signing away my firstborn child or something. I spent that evening just thinking, pacing around my little apartment. What do I do?
Next day, I tried talking to Stanton. I went in, sat down, pointed out the clauses. “Hey, about this non-compete…” I started. He just waved his hand. “Ah, standard legal stuff, lawyers make us put it in. We never enforce that.” Yeah, right. Famous last words.
He wouldn’t budge. He wouldn’t explain the IP thing clearly either, just more hand-waving about ‘protecting the company’. It was like talking to a brick wall, but a brick wall that smiled vaguely.
So, I had a choice. Sign this thing I felt was totally dodgy, or walk away from a job I’d only just started. It wasn’t easy. I needed the work. But signing that felt like putting handcuffs on myself for the future.
In the end, I listened to my gut. I went back in the next morning, put the unsigned paper on his desk, and told him I couldn’t sign it as it was. I explained politely that those clauses were deal-breakers for me. He looked surprised, maybe even a bit annoyed. Tried to argue a bit more, but I stood firm. I said I guessed this meant I couldn’t continue working there.
And that was that. I walked out of there feeling shaky but also… relieved? It sucked being jobless again so soon, but it felt better than being legally tied up by something that shady. That whole experience really taught me to actually read what you sign, no matter how ‘standard’ someone claims it is. Don’t just trust the casual wave and the smile. Sometimes you gotta trust your gut and be ready to walk.
