The Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on Oct. 20, jointly released Antitrust Guidance for Human Resource Professionals, cautioning employers about potential serious antitrust consequences if they enter certain employment-related agreements with competitors, JD Supra Business Advisor reports. The guidance states that employers that enter agreements not to hire employees away from other companies likely violate Section 1 of the Sherman Act and that the DOJ can prosecute criminally the companies that are parties to those agreements — as well as individual employees involved in the illegal conduct.