The difference is that you didn't spend lots of money researching a better type of floor-laying and then have the flooring company come in to lay the hardwood according to your specs. If you had, you might want to protect that secret.
Then they should protect that with non-disclosure agreements, or realise that they can't survive as a business (or don't want to) without restricting the freedom of the workers to do what they want to outside of the time paid to the employee in the form of wage.
I have little or no sympathy for businesses which insist on restricting freedom outside of those hours for which it pays me wage.
The difference is that you didn't spend lots of money researching a better type of floor-laying and then have the flooring company come in to lay the hardwood according to your specs. If you had, you might want to protect that secret.