In a society where it often takes more than one income to make ends meet, “moonlighting,” or secondary employment has become a popular way of life, particularly when high-demand skills like computer expertise are involved. 

Most employers are willing to put up with moonlighting, and most of us depend on it as a means of keeping our own businesses running.  (Have you ever had a consultant come in after-hours to work on a computer programming problem?)

How do you allow employees space to do what they need to on their own time without jeopardizing your own business interests?  One wise method is to have a policy in place that specifically outlines any restrictions.  It is not inappropriate for you to insist that workers get management approval for secondary jobs which might interfere with regular activities or which might negatively impact productivity. 

Lay out examples in advance which will illustrate to your employees what activities will be prohibited.  Keep a tab on extraordinary circumstances such as one worker receiving several times the volume of e-mail, or making many times more phone calls than others in similar positions.