Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Juggle and Be Merry

Juggling multiple jobs is becoming more and more common, as people seek work that will provide an additional paycheck or personal satisfaction that is lacking in Job #1.  Over at Stepcase Lifehack, Thursday Bram, a writer who has done this herself, has these insights to share:

Keep firm dividers between your different jobs. Even if you are the boss on your second job — you’re working for yourself — you have an obligation to keep that work separate from your day job.  Focus on what’s in front of you. When you’re on the clock for Company A, you know exactly which projects you should be working on. If Company A is paying for this time, you should be theirs, heart and soul, at least until you clock out.

There will come a day when an emergency comes up at Job A when you’re supposed to be taking care of something for Job B. It’s a fact of life. Unless you have very understanding supervisors or clients, you’re going to have to choose between your jobs. In the moment, it’s very hard to make that decision. I’ve decided between jobs based on which I enjoyed more, which paid better and which was more likely to fire me.

In terms of what you tell the boss:  some companies don’t want you to work anywhere else. They want you to put in your eight hours, go home, sleep well and come back rested. Others consider employees who go looking for other projects as assets — such employees have a jump start on networking and have a wider variety of experiences.

Unfortunately, most supervisors do not come with a label describing which variety they are. Because it can be very hard to figure out your boss’ stance, the general rule seems to be that you keep quiet on your extracurricular activities. I wouldn’t talk about Job A at Job B, although, if my boss was to bring up the matter, I’d be entirely truthful.

There are only certain circumstances in which your employer has any legal right to ask you to stop working at your second job. If you have a non-compete agreement and your side job — whether you’re freelancing, working for the competition or providing consulting services — your employer can say something. If you’re on call for both jobs at once, your employer can say something. But in most other cases, your employer has no grounds to object.

I’ve been in this situation too, and Thursday’s tips are golden.  Keep them in mind so that you are able to go about all of your endeavors without making waves.

Comments

[Erika with Qvisory]

I can definitely relate to this advice! I juggle two jobs and adore them both but it can get difficult to establish firm boundaries for both. I find the approach that's recommended here to be very helpful: My time is my own, company A's time is theirs, and likewise for company B. If you don't keep things clear you can go crazy!

[Alexandra Levit]

Hi Erika, well, from what I've been able to observe, you're doing very well! Thanks for sharing your experience.