With more flexible working hours, many remote workers are taking on side gigs and contract work to inflate their salaries. Some remote workers are taking it a step further and working two full-time jobs simultaneously… bringing us to the latest remote work buzzword: over-employed.
Remote work has given us a lot of freedom. Freedom to work from the location of our choosing, the ability to do laundry while working, and the chance to spend more time with family. Recently, a light has been shed on the fact that it’s also made it possible for us to work more, sometimes even two full-time jobs with different companies.
But don’t let the anonymous interviews in clickbait articles scare you. Sites like The Guardian and Wall Street Journal exacerbate the idea that so many remote workers are over-employed and hiding it. In August of 2023, there were approximately 167.84 million people in the US workforce. Of that number, only about 367,000 had two or more full-time jobs.
Many employees over-employ themselves temporarily to achieve financial freedom by paying off debt and building a cushion of savings. With the increasing cost of living and seemingly stagnant salaries, getting ahead in 2023 is difficult.
Is Working Two Full-time Remote Jobs Illegal?
As long as no employment contracts are breached, working two full-time jobs simultaneously in the United States is not illegal. If the worker feels they have enough hours in the day and can successfully juggle two careers at once, there is no issue on their side. However, some bosses may beg to differ.
If you think that working two jobs sounds impossible, it’s more feasible than you’d expect. A study by VoucherCloud shows that most employees only spend about 30% (2 hours and 23 minutes) of each eight-hour workday engaged and working. In that case, there are still about five hours available for other activities– social media scrolling, online shopping, water cooler chats… or a second career. With this statistic and two jobs, an over-employed employee is still only spending about 60% of their workday actually working.
Indications You May Have an Employee With Two Jobs
A person with two careers will often seem distracted and unavailable. They may also:
- Attend meetings with their camera off. If their camera is on, you may notice them speaking to someone else with their microphone muted.
- Avoid updating LinkedIn with current employment.
- Have poor communication.
- Have difficulty meeting deadlines.
- Ask coworkers for an abundant amount of favors.
However, employees with more freedom and flexibility may be able to juggle the two careers without their boss ever knowing.
Is There a Problem With Employees Being Over-employed?
Again, as long as no information from a non-disclosure agreement, company secrets, or employment contracts are breached, and the employee is still performing well, there isn’t really an issue.
However, the idea of an employee “cheating” on the company may not sit well with some bosses. Some employers feel that they are paying an employee for 40 hours per week to be dedicated solely to their company. Even if they finish their tasks on time, without a second job, the employee would have ample time to review, revise, and enhance their work.
I invite you to remember the statistic listed above about how many hours employees typically spend engaged at work and also what our remote work specialist, Darren Murph, preaches:
“Tracking hours instead of outputs is a relic of the past. Modern organizations must invest in systems and methodologies which track results.”
Darren Murph – VP Workplace Design & Remote Work
Do not let go of a great employee for being over-employed. Fire an employee if they are not completing their tasks to the company standards or if they’re not completing them in a timely manner.
If the thought of an employee working two jobs makes you uncomfortable, make it clear upon hiring and add a clause in the employment contract.
