A Linkedin post shared by Canopy CEO Davis Bell is sparking controversy because it sheds light on the growing trend of overemployment or secretly working two remote jobs at the same time.
Bell's post went viral on Friday after he revealed that a mid-sized software company in Utah recently fired two engineers who were secretly working two full-time jobs. During a time of record-inflation and soaring housing costs, some people say they can make up to $600,000 a year if they are overemployed.
This is not a new social trend to me. It is not something in which an ethical, honest person would participate.
The post prompted backlash from several corners of the internet, with some users arguing that regular workers are punished for being at multiple companies at the same time. Engineers may have been working two jobs to make ends meet, according to others.
In an interview with Insider, Bell said that comments along these lines mischaracterized his company's situation, and that one person even called his cell phone and said they hoped the CEO "dies in a car crash."
"Big salary engineers from big tech companies that are coming into Utah, because we now offer this remote work experience, and get employed and not working, that's not ideal anywhere." It is damaging at a small tech company.
It's not accurate to compare these specific employees to lower income people who pick up extra retail or night shifts to pay for basic necessities.
"This is someone who works for a really, really large tech company, so you know they're well compensated there," he said, noting that the engineers were making between $130,000 and $140,000 at Canopy on top of their other full-time jobs." They were looking for an extra stream of income without doing much work.
The first engineer was secretly working a second job after 2.5 months of poor performance that had been flagged by his teammates.
Bell said that the employee was called into a meeting with HR to discuss the issues after repeatedly missing meetings, not finishing work, and keeping their camera turned off. The company noticed that the engineer's profile on Linkedin had been changed to private, and that they didn't have the engineer's job title listed.
Canopy sent an employment verification request to the engineer's former employer, which showed that they were still employed there.
Bell said that the company was not okay with dual full-time employment when the second engineer showed similar red flags. An employment verification request showed their hunch was correct.
The CEO told Insider that both employees fessed up to the ruse.
Many employees at Canopy have multiple passive income streams or passion projects, which is different to having a side-hustle or moonlighting, according to Bell. One hour a month is how long it takes the CEO to invest in start-ups.
Bell said that the argument that overemployment is a protest against a capitalist system that exploits workers is more important than his company.
He told Insider that it was like getting to the center of Western capitalism. You're taking someone's job away when you do that. The people who you're working with are responsible for deliverables and they end up working more.
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