Journalists and other technical professionals are able to have a side business or freelance work. One may have a job as an editor and write articles at a fee for publications other than her primary employer. This is usually done with the explicit or tacit approval of her employers. Some do it for additional income. Others enjoy the work.
According to The Wall Street Journal, there is a new website that offers tips to tech workers looking to make two full-time salaries while working remotely. They can give half their effort to either one or both and not let the employer know. The following scenario is described by the WSJ:
They alternate between two laptops while sitting alone in their homes. They play Tetris on their calendars, trying not to miss any meetings. They sometimes log in to more than one meeting at once. In some cases, they use unlimited paid time to manage large projects or start new gigs. They say that they don't work more than 40 hours per week in both of their jobs. They don't apologize for using a system that they believe has taken advantage.
According to anonymous workers, they seem to have gone to great lengths in order to work for more than one company simultaneously. This includes keeping very organized calendars and juggling multiple Zoom calls and deadlines. According to the WSJ, it is not illegal to work for more companies than one.
Employers are reaping the benefits of what they have sown with workers from all walks of the employment spectrum. Along with low job security and meager wages, workers are facing a crisis that has disrupted their home and work lives. I was most interested in the way some workers talked about gaming this system and lying about the reasons they would need accommodation from their employer. They used their unlimited PTO for a month and cited COVID-19 Burnout. Or, they skipped double-booked meetings by pretending to take a call from a child's school.
This WSJ article is very interesting and explains how remote workers manage to manage their jobs.
