Businesses need to check they’re prepared for ‘second jobbers’

With figures showing more people are taking on a second job to cope with financial pressures, it’s become apparent that few firms are prepared for how this impacts them.

Over the last year, there has been a nine per cent increase in the number of UK workers with second jobs.

Background screening firm Sterling says that this may create a new challenge for employers that haven’t adjusted their hiring and onboarding procedures and processes accordingly.

Steve Smith, President, International at Sterling, explained, “The rise of the second-jobber is something we’ve seen grow since the cost-of-living crisis first began. This trend doesn’t just benefit individuals, as it can also mean employers are able to attract a more diverse, flexible, and talented workforce. However, it can also pose risk to organisations who are hiring.

“Aside from the potential impact to productivity at work, it also has the added issue of possible breaches of confidentiality or misuse of company data that could expose firms to legal and financial risks.

“Few employers have set clauses in employment contracts that require staff to declare any second jobs they take on, and many of those that do haven’t implemented robust rescreening programmes to ensure this protocol is being followed.

“Aside from the need to clearly define the company’s stance on second jobs, employers must also consider how they are vetting employees as this trend continues.

“Rescreening current workers may be one way to identify where there are emerging risks of staff taking on a second job, but ensuring that new recruits are also vetted for potential employment elsewhere is going to become increasingly important. With flexibility key in the modern world of work, screening processes have to be equally agile or they will become outdated very quickly.”

To find out more about contracting please contact Jaime on 01442 795 100 or email jaime.thorpe@dolanaccountancy.com.