Overemployed workers adjust as RTO and tracking raise stakes

Tech workers juggling two full-time jobs are finding it harder to go undetected. Return-to-office mandates and employee-tracking software have tightened the net. Some workers say the strategy remains viable.

Daniel, a tech worker in his 30s who asked for a pseudonym to avoid being fired, is on pace to earn roughly $330,000 this year from two full-time remote jobs. He told Bloomberg he has never been more scared of getting caught. RTO requirements, layoffs, and new monitoring tools have raised the stakes for anyone running multiple roles simultaneously.

Workers in the so-called overemployed community have adapted their methods. They use separate devices for each job and block overlapping meetings on shared calendars. One worker Bloomberg spoke with owns a KVM switch that lets a single keyboard, mouse, and monitor control two computers at once. The apparatus helps the worker appear present and productive in both jobs at the same time.

The biggest risk now is layoffs. When companies cut headcount, they often scrutinize productivity data more closely. A manager who notices an employee never volunteers for extra work or misses every after-hours meeting can flag the account. Employee-tracking software that monitors mouse movements and keystrokes is another threat. Some firms have started requiring periodic screenshots or webcam check-ins.

Daniel said he avoids video calls for his second job by keeping the camera off and claiming technical issues. He schedules the two jobs’ mandatory meetings at different times and uses the quieter moments in one role to finish tasks for the other. The system works, he said, as long as neither employer demands his full, undivided attention for eight straight hours.

The trend is not universal. Some companies have embraced flexible work, and certain industries still operate largely asynchronously. The shift back to office-based work, led by firms like Amazon and Goldman Sachs, has made overemployment harder to sustain. A worker profiled by Bloomberg under the alias Evelyn lost her second job when her primary employer mandated three days in the office. She could no longer attend both sets of stand-up meetings.

For now, the overemployed say the strategy remains viable for people in roles that require output over presence. A software engineer who ships code on time can survive periodic check-ins. A customer-support agent who handles tickets quickly can do the same across two accounts. The key, they said, is to keep both employers believing they are the only one on the roster.