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The shift to remote work has opened the door to new opportunities – not least of which is the ability to juggle a side hustle or even a second full-time job.
For some, this has been a financial game changer. Who can forget the stories of white-collar professionals pulling in nearly $600,000 a year, paying off hefty student loans or building a nest egg for their kids’ education?
Data from ResumeBuilder.com backs up these anecdotes. In late 2021, the resume platform polled U.S. workers and found 69 per cent of remote employees were working a second job. Of those, 37 per cent held a second full-time role, while 32 per cent balanced a side hustle.
While the trend may have gained momentum during the pandemic, many remote workers are still maximizing their work-from-home setup to pursue additional income streams.
What’s the worst that could happen?
As we examined last week, a new survey from Express Employment Professionals reveals 29 per cent of Canadians who are employed and job-hunting are working on their side gigs during company hours. This week, we explore why the chances of being punished are so low and if it is worth the risk.
“I think many employees who do this know that it’s bad; many employees who do it hide it, right? They wouldn’t do it if they were working in an office, but they can get away with it because they’re working from home,” says Erin Brandt, co-founder of Vancouver-based employment and human rights law firm PortaLaw.
Despite the potential negative impact of working double duty, employers are often hesitant to impose severe consequences. The survey shows that when employees are caught, 32 per cent of employers simply ask them to restrict their side gig activities to after-hours. Only 11 per cent resort to firing an employee.
So why aren’t employers harsher? According to Ms. Brandt, it comes down to proportionality.
“There’s a spectrum of misconduct, and there’s a lot of law around discipline being proportionate to the misconduct,” she says. For an employer to terminate someone for “just cause,” the misconduct must be serious enough to fundamentally breach the employment contract.
However, even when an employer claims just cause, the matter doesn’t always end there. If an employee contests the decision in court, the termination may be deemed unjust, requiring the employer to provide a severance package.
“Sometimes when people are fired for just cause, it may be treated as not just cause for the purposes of determining whether or not a person should be provided a severance package on their exit,” Ms. Brandt says.
Whether severance is owed depends on several factors, including the employee’s contract, common law considerations and provincial employment standards.
When it comes to being terminated for pursuing a side hustle during company time, “statistically speaking, it sounds like that’s unlikely,” Ms. Brandt says.
As remote work continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the boundaries between primary jobs and side gigs will remain a delicate balancing act.
Fast fact
Recruitment revolution
25 per cent
While most companies have gender equity in entry-level roles, that number is reduced to 35 per cent female participation at senior management and 25 per cent for the C Suite. This article looks at how the role recruitment practices play in creating more equitable workforces is overlooked and misunderstood.
Career guidance
Viral for the wrong reasons
A small business owner faced major backlash online after landing on the wrong side of TikTok – an experience that’s becoming more common for businesses. So, what do you do when people on the internet come for you or your business?
Kristi Piehl, chief executive officer of public relations agency Media Minefield, says there are four things businesses should do. They should have a strategy ready for when a crisis hits, step away to calm down before responding, diffuse situations rather than focusing on defending and then keep posting to build their reputation back up.
Quoted
Meaningful work
“Work can be part of our search for meaning and our fulfilment as human beings. If we each shift the way we consider the nature of work, from a burden to an opportunity, then we can start transforming business.” – Hubert Joly, who took over as chief executive officer of Best Buy in 2012 when employee morale was at rock bottom and turnover was high.
This article looks at why leaders should move away from the command-and-control style and how they can help workers connect their personal search for meaning to their work and an organization’s purpose. When done right, employees will be more engaged and empowered to make progress on an company’s vision.
On our radar
Brewing worker resentment
Employee satisfaction has been on the decline since 2022, and this CNBC article looks at how new job opportunities in 2025 could spur a “quitting spree” as workers look to make moves – even if it’s for less money.