Outside work
Outside employment
States whether you may hold another job at all, and if so under what conditions. This is the clause that decides whether anything else in this course applies to you.
Where to find it
Most often the employee handbook rather than the signed agreement. Check the handbook first, then the employment agreement.
Search your document for: outside employment other employment moonlight secondary employment dual employment
Which version do you have?
Wording paraphrased for teaching. Yours will differ; the shape is what matters.
Usually fine
“Employees may engage in outside employment provided it does not interfere with their duties, does not compete with the Company, and does not involve the use of Company resources.”
A genuine yes with three conditions, all of which are within your control. Note whether it also asks you to notify anyone; a notification requirement is easy to satisfy and expensive to ignore.
Needs a question
“Employees must obtain prior written approval from their manager before engaging in any outside employment.”
A yes with a process. Ask. Companies grant these regularly for unrelated work outside your hours. Treating it as a soft no and not asking converts an administrative step into an ongoing breach.
Stop here
“Employee shall not engage in any other employment during the term of this Agreement.”
A no. Holding a second role puts you in breach of contract. Change the role, ask whether the policy can be varied and get the answer in writing, or stop.
Ask this before you sign
- Is there a form or process for disclosing outside work?
- Who approves it, and does the approval need renewing?
- Does the policy distinguish between competing and unrelated work?
What this clause means when you hold two roles
Reading the clause is one thing; knowing how it interacts with a second employer's agreement, where it sits in the self-audit, and what to do when two contracts disagree is the part that takes the work. That analysis, the agreement-review worksheet and the searchable library live in the course.
Generic wording written for teaching, not copied from any real agreement. Employment law varies by country and state. This is not legal advice — see the disclaimer.