In the pandemic, many learned to appreciate the benefits of working from home. A portal in the USA is now taking this to extremes – and helping to get two jobs in a normal working week.
Getting up later, no commuting stress and being able to sit down on your own couch after lunch with the family: The home office offers several advantages over the classic office. Many home workers also appreciate the fact that the boss does not always look over his shoulder. However, some take this advantage to the extreme – and work for two companies at the same time during regular office hours.
“It’s two jobs in one,” reports an anonymous programmer from the US to the Wall Street Journal. He worked for a media company and used to get his real job done in three to ten hours a week. “The rest consists of being present at meetings and appearing busy,” is how he explains his decision to have a second full-time job at an event company since June.
Two jobs, two salaries
He is not alone. The business newspaper managed to find several people who, thanks to home office, managed to get two full-time jobs under one roof. And that without necessarily having to work more: According to their own account, many would not spend more than 40 hours a week working even in two jobs, they told the “Journal”. Nonetheless, the respondents would typically have paid between $ 200,000 and $ 500,000 a year for the two jobs. However, some would have worked 100 hours a week for it.
The double life is made possible by the advantages of the home office. While it used to be almost impossible to have several meetings in one day in two different companies, this is no longer a problem with video conferencing from home. They would play Tetris in the calendar to coordinate the dates of the two jobs, reported the secret second jobber. If the going got tough, you’d just have to be in two appointments at the same time. As long as you just have to be present, that’s not a problem. Should a project take longer to complete, you can still take time off in the other job.
Why cancel?
Most tend to slip into the second job by mistake. For example, an employee looked for a new job after his company was dismissed. He applied for a job and got it. When he wanted to quit, he thought: Why actually? And just kept the second job on the side. For others, the scam has long since developed into a strategy. Once they accidentally juggle two jobs, they realize: it works. And now they are specifically looking for a second job if one does not go on.
When she was about to be brought back to the office, an employee quit who had previously worked for an insurance company and a telecommunications company. And quickly replaced the position with another second job. “I have an advantage now,” she says with conviction. Meanwhile, an assistant helps her to manage the appointments between jobs, takes phone calls so that she can warn her in advance if she is required. “Am I trying to be a top employee? Not really. I just do each of the jobs so that I don’t get fired,” she admits.
Tips from the experts
The attitude seems to exist in many of the double employees. They had the feeling that the company demanded loyalty, but did not show it to the employees, so the impression of the “WSJ” authors. “When the going gets tough, you’re just one of many,” believes one. “They say we have a free market. I’m just making sure I get my share.”
Together with a friend, he set up a page that gives others tips on how to keep the other job a secret from the respective employer. He quickly found out that you can simply refuse appointment requests – without any consequences. If you are in a meeting, however, you should also speak up. Even if it is a repetition of something previously said in other words. Of course, you have to make sure to mute yourself in good time in the second meeting. And of course you should always have an excuse ready why you had to leave the meeting quickly when you have to speak to someone else. Also important: You shouldn’t be too ambitious and prefer to stay inconspicuous. After all, you don’t want to be promoted unnecessarily.
The fear in the neck
In fact, all respondents had already developed similar strategies themselves, found the “WSJ”. Ideally, you work on two laptops, adjust the color of the windows so that you always know immediately which job you are currently working for. “You have to physically switch back and forth, it trains your head so that it always knows whether you are currently in Job 1 or Job 2,” advises one of the double jobbers. It’ll be easier in the long run. “I can hear and process two things at the same time much better than before.” It is also helpful to refer to chat tools like Slack instead of making a phone call or arranging a digital meeting. “People then think: He’s getting something baked instead of wasting time in meetings.”
Of course, the double life leads to a constant fear of getting caught. According to the report, many had anecdotes in which it was tight. Sometimes a microphone was open and for a few seconds the participants in one meeting could have heard the second, which was taking place at the same time, sometimes there was trouble because too much work had remained unfinished. “You think every day: They’ll catch me today,” one interviewee admits to his paranoia.
Breach of contract instead of crime
This does not necessarily have to lead to legal consequences. In the USA as well as in this country, working in two jobs at the same time is not generally prohibited, it is a question of the employment contract whether you have to get a permit from the employer. In the USA, even then, there would be no more than labor law penalties, a lawyer told the newspaper. In Germany, additional problems could arise from the Working Hours Act.
In fact, some employers do notice when one of the employees is playing a double game. Chris Hansen reports, for example, that during his time at a start-up, a freelance developer was always difficult to reach and never showed up at meetings. At some point it turned out that he had just carried on his previous job instead of quitting as agreed. Hansen decided not to report him. He understood that the freelancer would not want to make a full decision in favor of the company without job security. “What incentive do you have to be honest? There is simply no loyalty between employee and employer.”
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
