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Two full-time jobs?
Pattie Hunt Sinacole discusses whether two full-time jobs are permissable
Q: Since 2024, my responsibilities have been reduced at my current company. My company has hired others around me, and I am nervous I am “on the chopping block.” My assessments have all been good. I can tell I am being closely watched. One other thing I did recently, because I am scared, is I picked up another job. I am keeping it quiet and have only told another chap in the office. I feel like I have to protect myself. I am worried that my LinkedIn account might be confusing to my new company because I have my current company listed as my employer. What should I do? Just leave my current job? Or continue to work both jobs at once? What do you think?
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A: Working a second job, or “moonlighting” is a common practice, WITHIN REASON. If you work full-time and tutor students on Saturdays, that would be acceptable to most employers, assuming your current role does not offer tutoring services. If you work full-time as a customer service representative at a telecommunications company, and you are a server at your cousin’s catering company on weekends, that might be ok. If you work full-time as a webmaster, and teach a yoga class on Tuesday evenings, this might be permissible. It would be important for any of these roles to have a schedule outside of your normal working hours.
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Some companies have a “no moonlighting” policy. Companies have these policies for a few reasons. First, they want an employee to be fully committed to the role at their company. For example, they might need you to be at evening client events. Another reason a company may not allow a second role is that they fear an employee might work for a competitive firm. As an example, if your current role is within a company is editing educational publications and you start editing educational publications for competitors, that could clearly be problematic.
In your situation, I have greater concerns though. I assume that you are working a second full-time role. You should check your employee handbook or other company policies. If you can find your offer letter, sometimes such a requirement is stated there. For example, some companies will state something like: “You are required to devote your full-time energies to this role.”
Several of our clients have disciplined employees for working a secondary role if they have a written policy. Or you may have to disclose the second role, and it requires approval. However, you have stepped beyond that, in my opinion. Working two full-time roles is unethical, based on the information you have presented. Additionally, I cannot imagine that you can devote 100% of your efforts to both full-time roles. LinkedIn is one problem, but ethically representing two companies is beyond unacceptable. Often employers will terminate an employee who is working a second full-time role, especially a competitor.
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I would recommend that you quit your current primary role, and join the second company as a full-timer, if you can have success in the new company. A year or so ago, one of our clients had an employee working at two companies, and this person had changed their LinkedIn profile stating that they were working for a different company. This employee was terminated.
Your productivity is likely suffering, which may be why you are feeling concerned about what is occurring around you. If you were a business owner, or a business leader, you would likely feel slighted if your employee were working two full-time roles, especially if the second role was with a competitor.
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