These People Who Work from Home Have a Secret: They Have Two Jobs

That's right WSJ, scare all the managers reading this into forcing everyone at their company to work in the office again so you can force it on your employees and they can't just quit and join another company.

How many of these anti-WFH articles have they and NYT printed in the past few months? 10? 20?

I'm sure what's in the article happens, but then again those same people would just be killing that time some other way in-person, on their phone, in the break room, taking a walk, chatting with coworkers, slipping in some Facebook.

Besides, these people are helping alleviate the labor shortage you also like to complain about. Let them help out two different companies instead of strapping them to their office chairs at their open office desks to make sure they don't escape.

Hah, I can't even believe there are that many words to write about this. That might be the longest get back to work propaganda article ever written.

Another way to read this - many managers have gotten so deep into their "I have lots of employees in the office and visibly working on...something or other" worldviews that they are blind (perhaps willingly) to how little work there really is to do, and who is doing it.

For a sane company, which would be worth more - (1) finding and firing the (few at best) employees who are actually "cheating on them" this way, or (2) finding and firing the managers who are oblivious to, or ignoring (if not creating) the vast waste of company resources that "faithful" employees, merely pretending to be needed full-time, represent?

But hell will probably freeze over before the WSJ advocates for finding & firing worthless managers.

WSJ is so passe. I remember a distant friend working in early 2000-s as a system administrator in 4 jobs simultaneously. Just when "remote" became reasonably possible. Wonder how many things he could juggle today.

It's not even a thing, really. People had many jobs for ages. If something is hours-based, those hours should be filled with sense, and if they are not, they get filled with something else. My other friend, relatively recently, working as a contractor in Oracle, usually did his tasks early in a day, and even had time for short naps. Well... he's surely good with what he was doing, so it wasn't too big of a problem - just not a usual thing.

This... is bullshit.

Truth: I have three jobs, including running a small business and a prolific freelancing practice. The latter two have doubled my income. Despite switching day jobs in the middle of the pandemic.

So...how's my day job?

- Current Day job just gave me a 10% off-cycle raise, for stepping up and doing the work of several executives who left. More to come there.

- Last job is begging me to come back, due to the impact of my time there.

So seriously, screw the WSJ. Having multiple gigs has honed my time management and focusing skills to a fine art, not to mention providing me with a wealth of perspective for solving problems (since odds are, I've probably seen them before).

I've just been mediocre at one job and video games - I'm missing out on some cash!

Did a middle manager write this?

I started freelancing while working from home, concurrent with my main job, which I'd never done before covid. I don't think I'd go so far as to take a full second job but I have thought about it and I think I could swing it.

Still, I don't need the extra money and I'd easily give up if it meant the world (and work life) could return to its pre-covid normal.

WSJ will WSJ, sowing fears about sneaky labor trying to defraud noble capital unless dragged daily into the panopticon.

I now pay the rent and heat for my office which was a home. Sorry but the guy who runs my company made 22 million for a company with a stick price that hasn't been over 5 bucks in a decade. Wages were flat for 10 years. I took 3 jobs this year and am making up for lost time. I am 55. My 29 year old son has been doing this for nearly a decade...nearly a millionaire at 30. When my company starts paying real health insurance premiums and starts giving cost of living adjustments for wages. I may decide to do just one job until then I will do two with B- accuracy and attention to detail.

It's weird that WSJ basically published a "how to be unethical at work" article. Sure, it's not illegal, but it's still wrong to lie to your coworkers.

Oh so bad these people are using their time efficiently against the internal ambitions of their bosses. Alas, the busybody work they demand might not get done!

I don't see any problems with someone having 2+ jobs as long as she/he delivers.