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Taking a second job

You’re salary is low and you need a second income to survive. Where do you stand legally
Written on 8/21/09

Q. My partner has been made redundant, and we are now surviving on my salary alone. To keep things ticking over, I want to take on some weekend and evening work. Do I first need to run this past my boss?


JM. Your time is your own, but you need to look at your terms of employment. They may explicitly forbid any outside work, or they might allow it with permission. It may be that your only obligation is to turn up for work and what you do in your own time is up to you.


I would not recommend taking on any other obligations without talking to your employer. Everyone is aware of the tough economic situation, so they will appreciate your circumstances. You do not want to take on another job only to discover a conflict that could jeopardise your position.


The demands of an extra job may compromise your performance, so you might need to demonstrate that you can cope.


Speak to your employer, explain the situation and see what they recommend. There could be something extra you can do where you work, avoiding the need for two jobs.
Published 06 February 2009.


James Max is a broadcaster on London’s LBC 97.3 and presents the Property Week podcast. He previously worked at DTZ, Morgan Stanley and Doughty Hanson: Listen here.


Read more on this in Property Week: Advice on dealing with colleagues and taking a second job.