LW rules
Reading your employment contract before starting on the side
General information only. Employment law differs between countries and contracts differ between employers. If a clause is unclear, ask HR or an employment lawyer.
Many people start side work without rereading the contract they signed for their main job. Most of the time nothing in it gets in the way. Occasionally something does, and it is much easier to find out before you start than after.
Clauses worth looking for
- Outside employment or “other work”: some contracts ask you to tell your employer, or get permission, before taking on other paid work.
- Conflict of interest: work for a competitor, a client or a supplier of your employer is the usual concern.
- Confidentiality: you can't use your employer's information, customer lists or methods in your side work.
- Intellectual property: some contracts claim rights over things you create, sometimes even outside working hours. Read the wording carefully.
- Working time: in some places there are limits on total weekly hours across all jobs.
Keep the two apart
Don't do side work on your employer's time, laptop, phone or accounts. Apart from the contract, it creates a record that is hard to explain later.
If you need to ask
A short, factual email usually works: what the side work is, roughly how many hours, and that it won't overlap with your role or clients. Keep the reply.
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