The Double Dipping Dilemma - ARE YOUR EMPLOYEES MOONLIGHTING WHILE THEY ARE ON THE CLOCK?

At a recent event my husband attended, the speaker was discussing workforce issues, and the challenge with finding – and keeping – good talent. At one point in his speech, he mentioned the issue of remote employees seemingly having multiple jobs, and as my husband puts it, the room “erupted” in a buzz of frustration and recognition. When he got home, he was eager to relay this story to me since he has heard me talk repeatedly over the past 6 to 12 months about how this has become a growing trend among the small clients that I support.

About a year ago, I began to see evidence to substantiate the idea that a “double dipping” trend might be emerging, and my suspicions have been validated numerous times both in non-work settings and while on the job.

The first time the lightbulb went off for me, I was at an appointment and began chatting with someone who likely doesn’t know what I do for a living. The individual shared with me how her boyfriend was tired of his commute, and was thinking about quitting and getting a new job. Then she casually said, ‘Well actually, two jobs.” That piqued my curiosity, so I probed a little further and said, “Oh, he is planning to get a part time job as well?” Her reply? “No, two full-time jobs.” I didn’t bother to launch into a lecture about business ethics and honesty. I do recognize how there are times when people need to work two jobs – some even full-time – in order to make ends meet, and there are secondary jobs that a person can take that won’t interfere with their “day job.” I didn’t know her boyfriend’s situation well enough to know if that was the case, so the discussion ended there.

My next encounter was with a young college student who I know quite well. Again, during casual dinner conversation this individual stated their desire after graduation to get multiple jobs (maybe even more than two) and “make a million dollars.” He followed up that comment with a laugh, but I got the sense that he wasn’t completely joking. In that particular case I did launch into my business ethics and honesty lecture, although it might have fallen on deaf ears. In both instances, the individuals assured me “Oh yeah, this is a common thing now” and sadly, it has proven to be true in my daily experience.

In my business I support very small clients. I am their outsourced HR since they are too small to support an internal HR function. Within the past year, almost every one of them has encountered an employee who has turned out to be a double dipper, and when process improvement measures were followed with no success, there was no other option than to terminate their employment. In every case, the terminated employee just didn’t seem to care.

So, what are some of the common themes I’ve seen with employees who appear to be working another job during the hours that they are supposed to be working for my client companies? I’ve compiled a list below, and while I realize that there are exceptions to this list where employees may have some of these things occur and they don’t have a second job, when they regularly happen in combination with an individual employee, you may need to start to waving a red flag.

• They are a fully or partially remote employee, and when asked to come to the office for meetings or on a routine basis, they either say they can’t, or they regularly don’t show up when they are supposed to.
• They often fail to turn on their camera and/or seem distracted during virtual meetings.
• They decline your company’s health insurance but don’t’ disclose being on a partner’s or parent’s plan.
• They don’t put their new position with your company on their LinkedIn profile or decline when you ask if you can announce their employment with the company on your LinkedIn page.
• They are frequently late for work or meetings, often call in sick, and have random personal things happen that cause them to miss scheduled meetings, on-site appointments or full or partial work days.
• They seem disengaged with the company and other members of their team.
• Although they seem to possess the necessary skills, they are not consistently fulfilling the requirements of their position.
• They seem elusive or defensive if any of the above items are questioned or addressed.

Do any of these sound familiar? If your answer is yes, you’re not alone. So, as the employer, what can you do?

First and foremost, you should always approach an employee who is exhibiting these behaviors with tact and professionalism, giving them the benefit of the doubt. They may have good reason for the behavior, and it’s important to rule out any extenuating circumstances. If a person is experiencing a true life crisis, then you should follow proper channels to support them, and to direct them to any resources your organization provides for assistance with life’s more difficult issues.
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Beyond that, I believe there are processes and practices that every organization should begin to implement to deter and/or weed out double dippers. Here are a few:

• Ensure that your job postings & job descriptions are comprehensive and detailed, and include the required weekly work days and hours as well as any on-site requirements (including meetings).
• Include relevant behavioral interviewing questions as part of your interview process. Dig in here to find out as much as you can about work ethic versus work ability. Ensure you aren’t just hiring to fill a seat. There is a stark difference between being “available” to work and being “dedicated” to work.
• Ensure that you have well-defined “Secondary Work” and “Remote Work” policies that are communicated to candidates during the interview process. Both your written policies and your verbal discussions should clearly address your company’s position on secondary work and what does and does not present a conflict of interest, and should clearly state what is expected of remote employees with regard to work hours, accessibility, scheduling, meeting attendance, reporting, virtual meeting expectations, etc.
• If possible, hold in-person interviews.
• Include an acknowledgment and disclosure of the “Secondary Work” and “Remote Work” policies in your offer letter.
• Create a Secondary Work Disclosure Form that must be completed during onboarding and/or annually during your employee review cycle. The form should be structured to ensure that any secondary work does not present a conflict of interest with the work that the employee has agreed to do for you and the work schedule to which they have committed. (If you haven’t figured it out by now, I suggest you hammer home your expectations about these things early and often!)
• Ensure that your managers are intentional in regularly meeting with employees to check-in both personally and professionally. Encourage regular collaboration within teams.
• Be willing to have “real” conversations with your employees regarding their work performance if expectations are not being met or if you suspect that something outside of work might be interfering with their ability to meet the requirements of their position.
• Document, and follow up. Ensure that you keep track of any performance issues, and any conversations that take place with the employee in the event that at termination becomes necessary.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there is no magic pixie dust here, but if you put some of these measures in place right from the start, you are likely to deter some of the would-be culprits from taking a job with your organization in the first place. And lastly, if one slips through the cracks despite all your best efforts, don't be afraid to cut your losses and say goodbye. Like my grandma used to say, “It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch.”