Why Some Companies Frown on Employees with Second Jobs
What's Wrong with Having a Second Job?
I once worked for a property management company. The company employed. both property managers and maintenance workers who lived at the properties we managed.
The company vehemently forbid its employees from having a second job. The policy was based on the nature of property management. We were required to be available and able to respond to any emergency at all of its managed properties.
The management company paid us handsomely to encourage us to commit to that requirement.
Side Jobs and Hustles are Plentiful
The internet is flooded with articles on the various side jobs and hustles that offer opportunities to make more money. Taking surveys, teaching part-time, freelance writing and other positions seem to be included in almost every article. There are a multitude of successful teenagers and adult men and women showcasing their wealth from side jobs.
However, there are a few articles on the internet that caution those with primary full-time jobs against jeopardizing that job by having a second job. There are several examples of how this could happen.
When working a second job, sleep often interferes with work
Second Jobs are a Growing Industry
The cost of living is high everywhere. The tight economy has caused increased living expenses. Family or medical needs, household issues, high food costs, automotive repairs and gas needs, make it more difficult to make ends meet. During a demanding financial economy, an employee may need a second income.
The inability to pay for things that were once affordable forces people to look for an extra income. Families need enough income to pay for the rise in expenses. Groceries alone takes a big chunk from a paycheck. Increased expenses will force an employee with a full-time job to get a part-time job, once referred to as moonlighting.
As are result, a second job is needed. The Department of Labor reports that in 2023 there were 8.4 million people in the United States who have second jobs.
Company Policies
These days most companies understand and are sensitive to their employee’s need for a second income. At the same time, companies have issues about an employee working two jobs. There are companies that outright forbid full-time employees to have a second job. If pressed to keep a good employee, the company may require the employee to get written permission from them with conditions before working at a second job. If allowed to work at a second job, a company also usually forbids an employee from working that job by using the primary companies’ sick time.
Competition Concerns
An employer may be concerned that your second job may compete with your primary job. There may be a concern that you will use information from your primary job on your second job. If an employer does allow second jobs, you may be restricted as to the nature of the job. The first job, or even the second job, may require you to sign a no-compete clause form. Or this may be included in your employee manual that you may be required to sign one before you begin a job.
There are companies that may especially frown on supervisors with second jobs. A supervisor is supposed to be an example of company expectations. Which means, being available all the time. A supervisor is responsible for being accessible for emergencies at the primary job. Also, to be the person to fill in when an employee is absent for the day. The company expects the supervisor to work on special projects, which may mean overtime work.
The burden of working a second job doesn’t always fall on the employee. The company where the employee works his primary job may have to carry that burden as well.
Primary Company Concerns
Here are some issues for the primary job that sometimes happens when an employee takes a second job.
* If your employee manual forbids you from taking a second job while on a leave of absence, someone in the company must monitor that situation
* There may be a conflict of interest if the second job is in the same field as the first
* An employee may want to leave the primary job early in order to get to the second job on time
* There may be occasions when an employee can’t work overtime on the primary job. A special project may come up, requiring you to stay after work for a few hours for a week or two. If you have a second job, you must tell your supervisor that you can’t stay. If you are considered a necessary member of the team, not being able to participate will not go well at your primary job evaluation.
* You consistently get to work late to your primary job because of fatigue from working your second job. Or worse, you use your primary job’s sick time to sleep off your second job’s fatigue.
* Fatigue or burn out from the work hours at a second job may hinder your primary job. Falling asleep on your day job as a result of working a second job may hinder your ability to do a good job or ability to stay focused during the day at your primary job.
* A company could be concerned that the second job could become more important to you than the first job. One could legitimately ask, which job does the employee consider their primary job? To which company does the employee consider his or her main loyalty?
Full Disclosure is Required
When looking for a job, if the interviewer doesn’t mention the company’s moonlighting policy, you should ask. You need to decide whether or not the new job would infringe on a second job should you need one. Expect the interviewer to ask if you plan to give up your second job if selected. You need to make that decision before the interview.
The company may have you sign an employment contract where it expressly forbids its employees from working a second job. It may be included in the employee manual, which you may also be required to sign.
Second Job Complications
Some employees still get a second job, thinking they will not be caught. Here are true examples of employees found un-expectantly working at a second job:
- An employee called in sick but was found working the same day at a large variety store as a cashier during her regular work hours.
- An employee entrusted to work in the field was found working as a cook in a famous restaurant during his primary job time.
- A building cleaner whose buildings were dirty was seen and discovered leaving his job early to go to his second job.
- Another building cleaner was found sleeping in a basement he was responsible for cleaning, behind a large water heater. He was exhausted from working two jobs.
- Employees at a testing company where they use a computer for their job are monitored. If an employee begins to do work unrelated to the primary job, someone interrupts the computer, and reminds the employee that he or she is only allowed to use it for the company’s work.
Company Expectations
A company has the right to expect an employee’s devotion and full attention during work hours. Similarly, the second job expects the same thing. An employee should expect to be terminated because of the inability to serve two companies satisfactory. In the above cases, four out of the five employees from several different companies were terminated immediately as a result of the negative impact the second jobs had on their primary jobs.
What if Your Second Job is Playing in a Band at Night?
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This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2014 Carolyn Gibson
