“Polygamous working” or “polyworking” refers to the practice of holding two or three full-time jobs simultaneously, often without the employers' knowledge. This practice has been on the rise since the widespread adoption of remote working in response to the health crisis.
While this strategy allows some employees to significantly increase their income, it exposes them to legal and organisational risks and has consequences for their health, particularly due to stress and exhaustion.
Faced with this phenomenon, which is amplified by social media, companies must strengthen their HR processes, clarify contractual obligations and rethink employee trust and commitment.
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Last year, the Financial Times published an article with a deliberately provocative title: “Why you should cheat on your boss”. The subject? “Professional polygamy”, or the practice of holding two or three full-time jobs simultaneously, often without the knowledge of employers. We take a closer look at “polygamous working” or “polyworking”, a practice that is still taboo but is gaining ground.
The term “polygamous workers” refers to employees who hold several full-time jobs simultaneously, often working remotely, without their respective employers' knowledge. This practice, which was still marginal a few years ago, has become more widespread since the widespread adoption of remote working caused by the health crisis.
The health crisis has played a decisive role in its development. In the midst of Covid, widespread teleworking has reduced managers' direct visibility of their employees' daily activities. In this context, some employees have taken advantage of flexible working hours to take on a second job, believing that they can fulfil their duties without compromising their performance.
However, this logic raises a key question in human resources: is this simply a matter of individual optimisation or a breach of the duty of loyalty to the employer? In many contracts, an exclusivity clause prohibits the pursuit of another salaried activity without prior agreement.
In the UK, one in five employees admits to secretly working for another employer or knowing someone who does, according to an article in The Telegraph. The newspaper interviewed one of these polygamous workers. Nadia (not her real name) secretly holds down two full-time teleworking jobs.
Every morning, the young woman turns on her two computers, one on which she works in an HR team for a salary of €52,000 per year, the other on which she works as a virtual assistant to a managing director. Neither team is aware that she works for another company during the same hours.
"“My colleagues are nice, and my managers like me. They’d be furious if they found out.”
“I already had my HR job when a recruiter reached out to me online in 2023”, she told The Telegraph. "They told me about the virtual PA role, I applied on a whim, and got it. I was about to hand in my notice when I stopped to think about it. I liked the job I had, and was excited about starting the job I’d just got. Both were remote - so why not keep them both on? I did it as a trial at first, figuring I could quit one or the other if it all got too much."
Although the workload can be intense, and she relies on her family's help with school runs and childcare, the young woman also sees advantages, including a combined salary of around €100,000 per year, which helps considerably with childcare costs and mortgage payments. ‘Sometimes,” she admits, “I do feel guilty about stringing them both along. My colleagues are nice, and my managers like me. They’d be furious if they found out.”
Although polygamous work is not inherently illegal, it may violate employment contracts and result in dismissal for serious misconduct or even prosecution for fraud in some cases. “It's not illegal, per se, it's not fraudulent, per se, on the face of it, but it can be unlawful if a contract stipulates that an individual is not to hold down another job, or have another form of employment", explains Kaajal Nathwani, an employment lawyer at Osborne & Wise in the UK, interviewed by the BBC in January 2026.
In Anglo-Saxon countries, fraud investigators have recently begun to crack down on those involved. For example, Kashim Chowdhury, 54, a civil servant from east London, allegedly held full-time positions in three government departments at the same time, as revealed by The Telegraph. As these positions were funded by public money, he was charged with fraud, which he has denied.
In another case, a social worker was working for two county councils at the same time; they were exposed after answering a call related to their second job while on a video meeting with the first.
Some cases are even more surprising, even extreme. In the United States, an employee at a nail salon admitted to earning more than €840,000 per year by holding not one or two - but 13 remote IT roles. Furthermore, an article in Business Insider revealed the existence of many polygamous workers in the service sector, some earning up to €520,000 per year thanks to double or triple salaries.
The appeal of this unusual way of working is such that it has become a phenomenon on social media, where success stories accumulate thousands of “likes” and offer advice and tips to new followers.
On TikTok, there are tens of thousands of videos explaining how to juggle multiple jobs and maximise your income, while a Reddit forum dedicated to ‘overemployment’ has more than 400,000 members worldwide, some claiming to have up to five full-time careers.
A British influencer, quoted by Business Insider, claims to have earned around €230,000 by working two full-time jobs, and proudly tells her TikTok followers: "It worked for me, it was great. I was able to do really nice things and take care of myself, go to nice places, save up for property. If it’s something that hasn’t crossed your mind because you think it’s illegal, then definitely get rid of that notion. You can absolutely work two jobs.”
In addition to a position for a big American tech company (which he prefers not to name), Mark (not his real name), 56, from the UK, does clinical coding for the NHS, both full-time. His total annual income exceeds €150,000, and he has mastered this balance perfectly.
“I’ve been doing this since 2020, when I was furloughed during Covid and applied for several remote jobs to bridge the gap,” he explains to The Telegraph. "I kept them on when the pandemic ended and I’ve never looked back. My tech job is quite flexible - as it’s in the US, I don’t start until 1pm. The coding work is boring but I could do it in my sleep.”
Mark, who is considering taking on a third job, shares three golden rules for managing multiple positions. First, he blocks out time slots in his Google calendar for his first job, which actually corresponds to meetings or calls for his second job. Second, he uses different computers for each job to avoid confusion. Third, he only posts vague information on his LinkedIn profile, never company names, so as not to be exposed.
"Those who continue to work two jobs are at risk of becoming overworked. Inevitably, this will lead to a drop in productivity for businesses, and those who fall ill may find themselves in a worse financial situation than before."
Apart from the legal risks, juggling several jobs is not suitable for everyone and carries significant health risks.
“It's a worrying trend,” explains Peter Boolkah, entrepreneur and coach, to the daily newspaper. "It could mean that small businesses see their employees taking more sick leave due to exhaustion. Those who continue to work two jobs are at risk of becoming overworked. Inevitably, this will lead to a drop in productivity for businesses, and those who fall ill may find themselves in a worse financial situation than before."
Nadia is also concerned. She constantly fears being found out and says she lives in daily fear that one of her employers will call her to tell her they know the truth. “I’ve only slipped up once, by putting the wrong signature on an email to my HR manager,” she admits. “I was so scared I didn’t sleep a wink that night. But she didn’t even notice. I had to ask myself - if she’s paying that little attention to my work, what am I worrying about? It’s my guilty little secret - and, as long as it stays that way, I’ll keep doing it.”
For companies, the central issue remains that of loyalty and compliance with contractual commitments. In many countries, employment contracts include exclusivity clauses or availability obligations. Concealed accumulation of several full-time positions may therefore constitute misconduct, especially in the event of a conflict of interest or non-compliance with maximum working hours.
In an article in HR Magazine, Susie Thomson, Chief Operating Officer at an international screening company, points out that “polygamous working” should not be analysed solely as fraud, but also as “a wake-up call for smarter screening”. According to her, “it is crucial to introduce more robust workforce screening practices not just at the point of hire, but throughout the employee lifecycle.”
“Of course, implementing these practices must be done with care and consent,” she continues. “Tools that leverage secure financial data (with full employee authorisation) can offer a clear and ethical way to identify potential undisclosed income sources. Used correctly, these checks can open up productive conversations, not punitive ones."
For HR departments, several levers can be activated: clarification of contractual clauses, transparent communication on loyalty obligations, evaluation based on results rather than attendance, and improved engagement to limit opportunistic behaviour.
In Luxembourg, no official study has yet measured the extent of the phenomenon of polygamous workers. Nevertheless, several characteristics of the local market make the subject relevant, such as the high rate of cross-border workers and the concentration of jobs in sectors compatible with teleworking, and therefore “polyworking”, particularly business services and IT.
However, Luxembourg labour law is structured and protective. Contracts frequently include specific clauses relating to exclusivity and loyalty. In addition, compliance with maximum working hours and social security obligations severely limits the possibility of holding several declared full-time jobs.
In this context, the debate on “polygamous working” could nevertheless evolve into a broader reflection on regulated multiple employment. In a market where certain skilled profiles are in high demand, offering more flexible and transparent forms of collaboration could be a lever for attracting talent, provided that the practices are legally secure.
For companies, the challenge goes beyond simply detecting potential fraud. It also involves rethinking employee engagement and trust, as well as the organisation of work, in an environment where multiple jobs, whether legal or not, are a reality. Clarifying rules, strengthening HR processes and opening a dialogue on new professional aspirations will be key elements in addressing this change.
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