Restrictive covenants like non-compete agreements are increasingly being used in times of economic downturn to protect employer interests like trade secrets and customer relationships. The main types are non-compete, non-solicitation, and non-disparagement agreements. However, courts carefully scrutinize these covenants, considering factors like the information's value, creation efforts, and whether the restrictions are reasonable in terms of duration, geography, and prohibiting types of work. While enforceability varies by state, most uphold reasonable restrictions but disfavor overly broad covenants used to punish employees rather than protect legitimate business needs.