Top Moonlighting Policies to Help You Handle Outside Employment
A top moonlighting policy can help your company handle employees who want to work outside their regular job and still keep all the benefits of working at your company. This free template will walk you through how to write one that fits your needs perfectly.
Part 1 – Why Do Employers Care?
Many employers choose to adopt a moonlighting policy to protect their business interests and ensure that employees are not working for a competitor. Additionally, employers may be concerned about employee fatigue and the potential for conflicts of interest. By having a policy in place, employers can set expectations and help avoid problems down the road.
Part 2 – What Are the Best Ways of Handling Moonlighting? (three sentences): The best way to handle moonlighting will vary from company to company, but there are a few general guidelines that can help.
- Determine if an individual’s outside employment is likely to create any conflict of interest or adversely affect their performance at work. If it does, then develop policies around what types of outside employment are allowed as well as how much time off is required for these types of jobs. Employees should understand these policies before starting work so they know what they need to do ahead of time.
Part 2 – The Written Moonlighting Policy
Once you’ve decided that you want to allow employees to moonlight, the next step is to put together a written policy. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and knows what is expected of them.
Here are a few things to include in your policy
- The best ways of employment – i.e., can an employee moonlight for an employer other than their primary one? What about working from home? How much time off do they need between jobs?
- Prohibited moonlighting activities: What does your company not want its employees doing when they’re moonlighting?
- Acceptable types of outside employment: The types of work an employee can do outside their job with no repercussions. For example, some companies only want their employees to work at night or during weekend hours so they don’t get distracted during regular business hours. Other companies might be more lenient and let people take their moonlighting jobs home with them so they can spend more time there while still fulfilling all their responsibilities at the office (depending on how many hours it takes). As long as it doesn’t interfere with the individual’s main responsibility, there’s really no best way of employment when it comes to finding acceptable types of outside employment.
Part 3 – How to Deal with Personal Relationships
If you’re in a relationship with someone who also works, it can be difficult to find time for each other. One way to overcome this is by communicating openly and often about your work schedules. Plus, try to schedule date nights or weekends away so you can have quality time together. Finally, don’t forget to show your appreciation for all that your partner does for you.
Part 4 – Internal Communication
One of the best ways of handling employment is by communicating with your employees. This way, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there are no misunderstandings. Plus, it can help build trust and respect between you and your employees.
If an employee is trying to work a second job but they don’t want their colleagues to know about it, they can come talk to you privately and let you know what’s going on. That way, if any problems do arise at work due to this moonlighting policy, you will be able to address them immediately without letting things escalate into something more serious.
Part 5 – Resources on Crafting and Reviewing a Moonlighting Policy
Here are some of the best ways of employment you can use when crafting and reviewing your own moonlighting policy:
- The policy should be in writing and approved by a supervisor.
- Employees should notify their supervisor of any outside employment.
- The supervisor has the right to approve or deny the request.
- If approved, the employee should follow all company guidelines while working outside the company.