- Many employees secretly hold multiple remote jobs due to low oversight
- Social media tips help workers juggle meetings across dual roles
- Undisclosed multitasking causes burnout legal issues and lost productivity companywide
Remote work has opened the door to a growing trend of employees secretly holding multiple full-time jobs, a practice known as polygamous working or being “overemployed.”
While having multiple jobs isn’t illegal, doing so without disclosure often breaches contracts, strains productivity, and can pose legal and ethical issues.
HR Magazine notes, “Moonlighting in this way can have serious consequences. It’s not just about reduced productivity; there’s a real risk of employee burnout, misuse of company resources, data security breaches and overall erosion of trust in the workplace.”
Tips from Reddit and TikTok
The rise of flexible and hybrid work models means many roles can now be done without ever stepping into an office.
“The practice has boomed since the Covid pandemic triggered a rise in working from home, creating an opportunity for shrewd employees to take on multiple remote roles – sometimes as many as three or four at once,” reports The Telegraph.
One woman, going by the name “Nadia”, told the paper she earned £87,000 working two jobs simultaneously from her home office.
On Reddit and TikTok, thousands share tips on managing multiple roles, with some workers boasting about using mouse jigglers and dual laptops to juggle overlapping meetings.
One British influencer claimed: “It worked for me, it was great. I was able to do really nice things and take care of myself, go to nice places, save up for property.”
But experts warn of the risks. “These issues can quickly escalate into legal and reputational disasters,” HR Magazine noted, suggesting “ongoing or periodic rescreening” of employees can help manage risk and protect both workers and employers.
In some cases, fraud charges have been brought – The i Paper claims one man was sentenced to a year in prison after being paid for two full-time contracts over 10 months.
Peter Boolkah, a business coach, told The Telegraph of the dangers of polygamous working.
“It could mean small business-owners find their employees off work sick more because of burnout,” he said.
“Those who stay working two jobs will be overstretched. Inevitably, this will lead to lower productivity for businesses, and those who are off sick will find themselves back where they started, with less money than before.”
Whether a symptom of economic necessity or opportunism, polygamous working raises urgent questions about trust, governance, and the sustainability of remote-first work culture.
