Your HR Pro

A colleague recently shared a dilemma.

“We suspect one of our employees might have two jobs: one with us and one with another company. Our suspicion started as he’s never available, takes forever to respond to team messages and emails, and forgets conversations. He does not list his employment with our company on his LinkedIn profile either. Does anyone know of companies specializing in investigating a situation like this?”

Moonlighting

Sometimes called Moonlighting, overemployment, or taking on a side hustle, employees may pursue second or third jobs with other employers.

This is not a new phenomenon. It has always been common for employees to have other employment outside of their typical day job. Perhaps they work the weekends on their family business or retail during the holiday season to make extra money. With the rise of the gig economy, it’s easier than ever to supplement your day job with a side hustle.  

Moonlighting or a side hustle are terms used when these other opportunities are pursued outside regular business hours. It’s important to note that while moonlighting is not illegal, it can potentially create conflicts of interest and impact an employee’s ability to perform their job duties effectively. Additionally, some employment contracts may prohibit moonlighting.

Double-dipping or Corporate Polygamy

With the rise in remote work, some employees have taken on second or third jobs that require them to be available during the same working period.

According to Forbes.com, only a tiny fraction (4 percent) work two or more full-time jobs. And many of these workers report that the work hours do not conflict. So, it’s scarce that employees are double-dipping or engaging in what some call corporate polygamy and work two or more full-time jobs during regular business hours.

Most corporate codes of conduct require employees to be readily available during their assigned work hours. In addition, many companies prohibit employees from engaging in activities that create a conflict of interest. Your company wants to protect its trade secrets or restrict employees from working for a competitor.

How Should You Approach An Employee Who Might Have A Second Competing Job?

Before jumping to conclusions, it’s vital to investigate further and gather evidence to support any suspicions.

The first step would be to review the employee’s performance and document their lack of availability for meetings and urgent matters. It’s essential to establish a history of any poor performance as well. Your goal should be to treat the situation as a performance problem and put them on a performance improvement plan (PIP).

Second, review their employment contract to see if any clauses or policies prohibit holding another job while employed with your company. If there is such a policy, ensure this is a discussion topic when addressing their performance and allow them to explain the situation.

If there is no policy, it’s still important to approach the situation carefully.

Lastly, schedule a meeting with the employee and present their performance issues. Ask them directly if they are holding another job. Explain your concerns about their availability and responsiveness and ask if there are any reasons for this. It’s essential to remain professional and non-accusatory during the conversation. Place the employee on a PIP and monitor their progress.

If the employee denies having another job, but you still have suspicions, you may want to consider using employment verification services, such as The Work Number, to investigate further. However, it’s essential to remember that this can be a sensitive issue, and it’s necessary to ensure that any investigation is conducted legally and ethically.

What if their performance does not improve after the PIP?

Follow your normal performance improvement plan process and monitor the situation and their work toward meeting their PIP goals. If they can’t turn their performance around, you’ll need to move forward with termination.

Some employees are very private. There could be other explanations for their behavior, such as a child going through cancer treatments. But they don’t want their colleagues to know. This is why it’s important to approach this situation with caution and not make any assumptions.