I've heard of several instances at my current job where long time/valuable employees applied for other jobs and our HR rep knew the HR rep from the other company and basically told them they can't hire the applicant because we need them here. I live in a smaller community with fewer job opportunities so I'm sure that contributes but still messed up. It almost feels like serfdom. I'm currently applying for a new job and am worried they will pull this on me since I'm one of the more experienced employees in my department.