Comments on: Moonlighting: Should you tell your boss?

By: Michelle Goodman

Michelle Goodman — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:44:29 +0000

Chris, depends on the policy at work. Is there a rule against working for competitor shops? Is a shop in another county even considered a competitor? Since your work requires you to be physically (and visibly) present, I’d assume your boss will eventually find out if you get a job at another shop. So you probably want to be out in the open with this.

By: chris

chris — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:25:37 +0000

Im a tattoo artist at a very big name shop as my full time job and love it but as times are getting tougher i am wondering if i should pick up another tattoo job at a shop in another county on my days off from the primary shop. should i tell my main boss of this decision or just go for it.

By: Raimonda

Raimonda — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:52:04 +0000

I think you do not have to tell your boss about second job.But sooner or later it will come to the surface.If the boss value your talents,he will come up with something to make you stay at your full-time job.
From my experience,you need to find a second job if:
1.If companies values do not match your own values.
2.Feel that you ar not learning anything new from your full-tme job and wish to expand your horizons.
3.To try new opportunities that could eventually lead into something great.
4.You have a controlling and immposible to please boss (if he suspects you have another job that means that you have a plan B and that you are in control of your life,not him.This way he loosepower over you and finally leaves you alone).

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By: Working Girl

Working Girl — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:11:25 +0000

I’ve done a ton of moonlighting in my life and never kept it a secret. Working two jobs was exhausting enough, I thought, without going to the effort of deception.

But Liz and GeekMBA do have points. And in theory, your time off should be your time off, and you should be able to do whatever you want with it in privacy. I would just keep in mind that stuff like this has a way of coming out. Be ready.

Whether or not you (try) to keep job #2 private the most important thing is that the boss at your “real” job knows that he/she is #1. Everything you do/say should prove it. Then I think you should be okay.

By: Kimberly Gauthier

Kimberly Gauthier — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:28:16 +0000

I love this story. I loved the class that I took; I need to look up the instructor and take another.

When I decided to turn my pet photography into a business I shared the news at work and quickly learned to keep work separate from my business. I won’t take on coworkers (or their friends/family) as clients. It’s made life a lot less complicated and it gives me an easy and reasonable out when I’m approached at work for my photography.

I did experience two funny things from coworkers. One told my boss that I was using work hours to work on my “little business” and it was causing her dept extra work (totally untrue). Another coworker seemed to think I was using a camera phone or a disposable phone for my business and didn’t understand why I thought that would earn money.

I still laugh when I recall these situations.

By: Liz

Liz — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:13:54 +0000

Great article–I work from various locations around the world, and I find that the less information I share with my boss, the less worried he is. I’d rather have him focusing on the work at hand rather than worrying about where I am at the moment or if he’s going to lose me to the call of freelancing. (although the latter isn’t that far from the truth…)

By: GeekMBA360

GeekMBA360 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:46:32 +0000

I would say “no” — if you’re doing your moonlighting job outside your work, why should you tell your boss? It’s your own life and second career. It has nothing to do with your primary job.

To avoid any potential legal issues, I think folks should not to tell their boss about their moonlighting jobs.

By: Ananda Leeke

Ananda Leeke — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:56:49 +0000

Thanks for sharing this informationl. It was very helpful.