Is It Actually Dishonest If It is on Your Job? Why Bosses Are Cracking Down on “Polygamous” Employees

Kashim Chowdhury, a civil servant in London, was charged with “dishonest” on his job and summoned into court docket in April 2025. His alleged crime was “polygamous working.” He’d been holding down three full-time authorities jobs on the identical time and was sharing his time, efforts, and dedication amongst them. Chowdhury has denied the costs.

This case isn’t distinctive to the U.Ok. Polygamous staff are working worldwide, juggling multiple full-time job with out informing their employers that they’re doing so. The apply has additionally been known as being “over-employed.” 

What Is Polygamous Working?

The rise in polygamous staff has been ascribed to a rise in distant work-from-home alternatives that largely started with the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Census Bureau has reported that the variety of staff who labored from house greater than doubled from 2019 by means of 2023, rising from 5.7% to 13.8% within the U.S. alone. Their quantity elevated from about 9 million to greater than 22 million American staff.

Expertise that permits staff to work from a distance has performed an element as nicely. This kind of work association makes it simple for workers to allocate their work hours to multiple firm or employer.

“As distant work preparations and versatile scheduling grow to be extra frequent, many staff have chosen to carry down two or three jobs at a time for intervals overlapping their work dedication, normally with out the information of half or the entire employers concerned,” in accordance with Kelsey Szamet, a companion at Kingsley Szamet Employment Legal professionals in Encino, California.

Is Polygamous Working Unlawful?

It’s not unlawful to carry down multiple job. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated that 8.43 million U.S. staff held a number of jobs in 2024. Greater than half of them held part-time jobs along with a full-time employment function however about 376,000 of them devoted themselves to multiple full-time job. The Bureau defines full-time work as 35 hours or extra per week.

“There’s no specific regulation that prohibits the apply of holding down a number of employment positions except the exercise interferes with a sound contractual dedication,” Szamet says. “If an individual has signed an settlement that features exclusivity, conflict-of-interest, or confidentiality clauses, holding down a number of employments – particularly with aggressive entities or throughout scheduled work hours – will be thought of a breach of contract with attainable authorized penalties.”

Is Polygamous Working Unethical?

The time period “polygamy” implies dishonest as a result of it denotes overlapping relationships. And the place there’s dishonest, there are sometimes those that are prepared to assist make it attainable. TikTok has launched movies offering perception into hacks resembling “mouse jiggling” that allow an worker to look like busy on their laptop computer when, actually, they’re servicing one other employer.

Reddit has additionally allegedly shared staff’ steerage about find out how to attend two video conferences on the identical time utilizing a number of laptops.

Is that this unethical? “It is dependent upon the way it’s carried out,” advises Brittany Truskowski, COO of Grand Canyon Regulation Group in Arizona. “If anyone is on the market with a clear course of and doing the job competently, that’s one factor. If, nevertheless, they’re hiding it, gaming the system, or double-dipping on hours, that goes too far. The bigger downside is belief, and as soon as that’s violated, it’s troublesome to restore.”  

How Ought to Employees Deal with A number of Jobs?

Working multiple job is a monetary necessity for many Individuals, and it’s not essentially a battle. It’s best to be at liberty to have a tendency bar on weekends to assist repay these faculty prices proper after you’re out of regulation faculty, have handed the bar, and are beginning a job with a regulation agency. The query is whether or not the positions compete with one another in any method.

“Typically it means two full-time gigs and typically it’s freelancing or facet hustles,” Truskowski says. She suggests that you just ask your self, “Will I be capable to do each jobs nicely? Does my contract permit it? And, much more essential: Am I being truthful? If the reply is ‘I’m simply hoping no one notices,’ then it’s time to re-examine.”  

“Transparency is essential,” says Szamet. “It’s vital for people to overview their labor contracts to make sure adherence to stipulated insurance policies. In the event that they plan to tackle a second employment, it’s greatest to tell their predominant employer of such an intention to keep away from any future misunderstandings or authorized points. They need to make sure that their work efficiency isn’t affected and never use their employer’s supplies, gear, or confidential info to carry out duties for an additional firm.”

What Can Employers Do?

Employers have quite a few choices with regards to defending themselves in opposition to polygamous staff. It may possibly begin with sizing up the from-home-employment roles they provide. Are the duties of those positions such that they don’t essentially must be full-time? You don’t wish to pay somebody whereas they’re truly working for another person so that you may think about trimming hours so that you’re getting what you’re paying for.  

Szamet means that employers can defend their companies in just a few methods:

• Clearly defining expectations in employment contracts, together with exclusivity or conflict-of-interest clauses
• Sharing secondary employment coverage info in handbooks or by means of the onboarding course of
• Evaluating productiveness to find out whether or not staff are assembly set efficiency requirements
• Addressing issues by means of correct HR channels if they believe divided loyalty or misuse of firm assets
• Initiating authorized motion or firing an worker if the worker breaches contractual phrases or moral practices

The Backside Line

Polygamous working isn’t a clear-cut situation. Holding down a second or third job will be understandably essential for a lot of staff, however bosses actually don’t wish to see their corporations jeopardized in consequence. Open communication can keep away from battle and rivalry, notably earlier than an employer-employee relationship is formally entered into.  

Contemplate telling your would-be boss should you work a second job or are fascinated by doing so. You may wish to clarify your place on the difficulty to your would-be worker should you assume it can jeopardize your fir,m and what the implications of such an motion could be.