“Overemployed” people abusing WFH to work multiple full time jobs without telling their employers

These responses are a humbling reminder that the concept of ethics or morals are made up. Clearly people in our society will do what ever they can do to get ahead even if it means screwing any and everyone.

Human nature is very fascinating,

 

Not sure if this is the right thread to vent but 9 years ago I went to a barber who began to cut my hair, left me sitting in the chair and then proceeded to go cut someone else's hair for a bit before coming back to do mine. Safe to say I didn't go back there.

 

My Orthodontist as a teenager had 3 chairs!! He'd work on all three at once. I suppose it makes sense, for him there's no waiting, but for us the paying customer we don't necessarily see it that way.

 

It's like a dual occupancy strategy but for employment

 

I don't have an issue, per se, if they actually do both jobs. So if people worked out that when they were WFH they were able to do their job in 25hrs because they didn't have pointless meetings and interruptions and they decided they could then take on another job and do both then I think it's fine if they want to work 60hrs a week and get paid for it. When you add in no commute then working 60hrs could be what they used to do in a single job + commute.

 

Mine typically are you can have a second job (eg. Casual nightfiller is ok) but it cannot have a conflict of interest with the full time job.
Having multiple full time jobs must be a conflict of interest.

Interesting. But how would you know you can do both jobs in 25h or less each? I suppose you'd have to have to have preexisting insight to the roles already.

Also, my first full time job was one where you could do the work in 2 hours per day (IT support in a smallish company, nothing new was ever happening there apart from printer maintenance, the rare new computer being bought.) But of course it wasn't WFH and having so much time and nothing to do was extremely boring for me. I suppose these days you could do contract work or another fully remote role in the side to alleviate boredom. I think it wouldn't exactly be ethical to do it and I'd want to tell the first employer of this issue - my conscious wouldn't be clear otherwise.

Anyway, I quit after just a couple of months, what happened was I had previously interviewed for a role at Amex. I didn't get that job at the time but they contacted me with a new role they had going, I said yes and the rest is history.

 

I agree it's unethical.

Yep I agree. It very much depends on the job/employer and whether it can be done ethically.

If a person takes 2 jobs from employers with flexible hours and no 'outside employment' disclosure requirements, and does both jobs to the employers' satisfaction then I don't see an issue.

 

Well note I did say 60hrs, so it could be a 35hrs + 25hrs, 30 + 30hrs etc. I would say that there actually are a lot of 38/40hr jobs that you can do quite effectively in 30hrs if you are skilled at your job and cut down on fluff (tea room chats, say no to some meetings).

You can also flip things around with a single job. We had a good set up at one company where we did an hour extra every day so we had a 9 day fortnight. Instead of 8-4pm our assigned hours were 8-5pm which was no hardship as people were often staying after 4 in some roles.

If your business has core hours you could even be logged in for the 38 hours but finish your tasks within the 30hrs and be available for emails/urgent tasks still if WFH. If you are using corporate assets at home then you would need another laptop/desktop to do the second job but still doable.

I've known software developers, coders, it analysts, business analysts, architectural designers, draftees, architects etc who have a full time job plus a large side hustle. The same could be said for those who have had day jobs and do property development on the side. A 'side hustle' can be working for yourself or another employer and can be almost as big as an additional full time job if you want it to be.

 

Our bricklayer's labourer just started a job as a junior stockbroker - he did a short course over a few months by logging on while at work and then listening to the class on his headphones while he cut bricks non-stop for weeks on end!

Tools

 

Of course it depends on the job, but if it’s a Monday to Friday 9 - 5 type job, I would expect my employees to be available and working during those times - for me and only me.

Surely this is fraud?

Many people can’t manage to do one job properly, so I don’t know how they can manage two!

 

Good on him! I like his style!

 

I used to work on a boat in the evenings , a boutique in the daytimes s 9 to 5 and on the weekends at open for inspections. I still had a social life.. .. I had a project... another time with a different project in mind I had a full time day job and a night time job... rinse and repeat.

 

Working in IT as well and if this is true, I need to stop working as hard.

 

Tbh, this is quite dodgy and can't last forever.

If your contract states that you can't be employed other place at all or without notifying employer, going for 2nd+ job is a breach of contract. To intentionally get employed to violate contracts and draw money for services not provided ("do jack **** and don't care about being fired") is not a lifestyle, but a fraud even if not a crime.

I don't think that would kill WFH (too many benefits), but would force employers to introduce stricter backgrounds checks and black lists that would purge such person from IT industry for good.

This just shows how much WFH lacks regulation from both sides and therefore allows for abuse.

 

But really - if the employee is doing a great job...do we care if they're working 2 jobs?

 

If they are working on both genuinely and transparently, while not having performance issues when both need their top performance, that is definitely not an issue.
But that "overemployed" approach is a very different intention and attitude than simply working 2nd job.

 

Exactly.
If I pay someone to do a job and it's done well and on time, what do I care care whatever else they do. As long as it's not in competition or giving info to competitors, it's no one's business.

And why would they need permission?
Dear mr manager, can I please get a second job? Please? Pretty please? Cherries on top?
NO, I own you.

This thread reminds me of a short stint in a unionised work place where everyone had to slow down to the pace of the slowest. And doing more was offensive.

 

good

 

But how would you know this if it’s not disclosed? I think that’s the point most people are making here.