Jobs

I found out that one of my ex-colleagues has a thriving side business AND a nine-to-five job. Do I need to share this information with my employer?

Elaine Varelas advises on whether you should disclose your side business with your employer.

Ask the Job Doc. Boston.com

August 30, 2023

3 minutes to read

Q. I recently left my job and one of the colleagues that I worked closely with shared his social media handles with me after I left. Having worked with him for nearly 5 years, I was shocked to learn his day job isn’t really his true passion and he has a side business teaching yoga. Why don’t people bring their full selves to work?

A. I think it’s unfortunate when people don’t share more of who they are in their work environment. But anyone wondering whether they need to alert their employer about anyone else’s outside work activity is one of the reasons people keep important parts of who they are hidden. Perhaps his 9 to 5 job is his “side” business.

We know that deeper relationships build more trust. Colleagues who share more of their personal lives and more about who they are typically demonstrate a more positive outlook about work. People frequently don’t bring more of who they really are or their deeper passions for fear of being judged negatively, fear of being taken advantage of by needing to offer free services or goods, or being responsible for jobs that are not what they’re hired to do.

Earlier in my career, I had a colleague who could type a hundred words a minute. Her job was not as an administrative assistant, even though she was better at it than the administrative assistant. She felt that if people knew that she was that expert at typing/keyboarding, then she would be asked to pitch in during a crisis. Unfortunately, she was asked to do that many times when the admin staff couldn’t meet deadlines. She finally went to her manager and said, I can’t be the crisis person. We need to hire someone who can meet the responsibilities for this job.

There can be benefits to sharing these kinds of hidden passions or capabilities. For example, an employee spoke the language of a company who was acquiring them. Because her managers knew that she was fluent in this language, she was promoted to a more senior position because of the acquisition and her language skills. Had she not revealed this information, she would have missed an opportunity.

When people feel they need to hide who they are, they’re somehow on guard. Think of the energy it takes to keep a part of yourself hidden. Managers need to recognize any personal information revealed is an overture toward a more positive relationship. When an employee puts themselves in that vulnerable spot, managers need to welcome those insights and not use that against them. For example, women who are planning to have children don’t want to reveal that information for fear it might negatively impact their career trajectory in terms of advancement opportunities. Your colleague whose true passion is yoga might have thought they wouldn’t be taken as seriously in their commitment to their other professional opportunity. And you mentioned this is a business for him, which may grow enough for him to eliminate his 9 to 5 role.

By sharing information with their colleagues about other business or life priorities, employers might be concerned that an employee’s attention is divided, their side business will interfere with their performance at work, or that they might not be focused enough on their nine-to-five job. They might also be worried that your colleague couldn’t work overtime if required or have the flexibility to travel for business. And they may be concerned that if their side business grows, you will eventually leave to focus on that. Also consider if there is any conflict of interest with your side business and your main job. Will your side hustle impact your company’s image or reputation in any way? Are you using company resources for your side business? Your employer may have a policy prohibiting any employment outside of your current role, so be sure to review your company handbook or contract.

Employees with secrets are more at risk of leaving than employees who are willing to be more transparent about their personal lives and other professional endeavors. It’s better to proactively share this information with your employer, rather than them finding out about it on their own. The ultimate goal to sharing this information is to reassure your employer that you are 100% committed to your job and that your side hustle won’t in any way impact your productivity at work. And as far as learning something about someone else look at your motives for informing an employer. Are they involved in something illegal? Something where they can hurt themselves or others? If not, there is no need to raise a concern where one doesn’t exist.