overemployment

Overemployment is secretly working two or more full-time jobs at the same time, usually remote jobs with overlapping hours, without either employer knowing. People who do it call themselves overemployed.

What overemployment means

Wikipedia defines overemployment as an individual simultaneously holding two or more full-time jobs, often with overlapping hours and without employer awareness. It mostly involves white-collar workers, and it depends on remote work: two laptops, two sets of meetings, careful calendar management.

It isn’t usually illegal, but Wikipedia notes many employment contracts include exclusivity clauses, so getting caught can mean being fired. That risk is part of why overemployed workers share tips in online communities about avoiding detection.

Examples

• “He’s overemployed: two engineering jobs, both fully remote.”
• “Overemployment works until both companies schedule a meeting at 10 a.m.”
• “She quit her second job. Overemployment was burning her out.”

Where it came from

Wikipedia says the term emerged in the US in the 2020s, during the COVID-19 recession, when remote work became common. It notes that one Reddit community devoted to overemployment had grown to 110,000 members by 2022, according to Vanity Fair.

Overemployment vs. polywork

Both mean several jobs at once. Polywork is usually open and often part-time or freelance. Overemployment is specifically about multiple full-time jobs, usually kept secret.

Related terms

• Polywork: juggling several jobs openly.
• Side hustle: a second source of income.
• Coffee badging: a quick office appearance.
• Quiet quitting: doing only what’s required.

See more terms like this in our work and money slang guide.