> be financially compensated (significantly, usually on the order of 50% gross salary for the entire period)

I think this is the most important protection that's needed in the US. NCCs for high-level executives with golden parachute clauses actually makes a lot of sense. If their former company is essentially paying them (usually a lot!) after they leave during the NCC period, that is unlikely to get abused and overused.

For anyone who's knowledge and connections is not important enough to those kinds of payouts offered to C-suite execs, NCCs are just a way to bully employees into not leaving.

For C-suite execs, I can definitely see it being a reasonable thing. And, honestly, at that level especially in large companies, skills are far more transferable to even totally different industries.

As another comment said, and I can confirm from personal experience, just the fact that you need these to enforce a non-compete is no panacea. There is usually enough probable cause, or whatever legalese name it has, to take an employee to court and cause them enormous havoc and expense (UK anyway, but the rest of your post reads consistent with UK laws).

Additionally, if you think you are small fry for a firm to sue you, not necessarily. Enforcement of non-competes is just as much aimed at deterring others from trying as it is at affecting you personally, if you spread the cost for the company over the 10-20 employees who are deterred, it suddenly looks cheap.

Even if against the odds of going against a large corporation with deep pockets you eke out a win in court, you are almost certainly not getting all your money back, and none of your time and stress either.

Those NCC/NCAs are unenforceable in California (outside some very specific exclusions, like C-level/founders), and California thrives, arguably because of it! I don't want my employer to be able to bully me into a contract where I can't switch to whatever job I want (even for "max 2 years" and half my previous pay...). A blanket ban clearly works and removes some of the employee/employer power imbalance. Should be the end of discussion.

Honestly I think that just requiring that NCAs be financially compensated like that would be enough to prevent them from being a problem.

Apparently in the UK non-compete are enforceable even when non remunerated, although your other points might stand: the non-compete must be in pursuit of a business need (i.e. not just a punishment because you left), and as should not extend in time and space more than required to fulfill that need (non-compete more than 6 months are rarely enforced).

And normally in the UK and a believe Europe the more senior you are the more likely a NC would be valid.

Which tracks: the higher in the food chain the more you’d be privy to strategic information and to-be-disclosed deals (e.g. bug contracts) allowing severely undermining or kneecapping the company.