The Case Against Side Projects
I think side projects are invaluable for your career. I also made a good case of at least four reasons why they make people better employees as well. Because of my bias, the other side of the argument will certainly be harder to navigate, but I think it’s only fair to explore how side projects can also cause problems for your work environment.
Unchecked Ego
Unless you’re LeBron James you’re brand probably isn’t bigger than that of your company (unless it’s tiny). Even then, you still need to be able to rely on the other member’s of your team in order for the company to succeed. How many championships does LeBron have with that supporting cast?
Sometimes employees’ side projects make them supremely confident in their abilities (this is good), but sometimes that confidence turns into an unchecked ego in which an employee feels that he’s somehow bigger or better than the company he works for.
As a result he/she might try to use their status to make unfair requests, slack on the job, and take unnecessary risks under the assumption that if the company doesn’t adhere to their behavior, they’ll just go somewhere else or start their own gig.
In fairness if their efforts to grow and become a better employee outside of regular office hours does indeed make them more knowledgeable, more skilled, etc. AND THEY’RE BUSTING THEIR ASS, then sure the company should try to accommodate them to retain the value they provide.
That’s not what we’re talking about though – we’re talking about blunt force ego that is toxic, and detrimental to what matters most: The Team.
Disrespect for Company Time
I’m a firm believer that what you do on your lunch hour is your time, but the first time you start using office time or resources to work on a project for another client a side project then you’re out of line.
This also goes for working until 4 am to finish something for a side project and it adversely affecting the work you do for your organization the next morning. It’s pretty much on par with getting drunk at lunch on Friday and playing Sporcle all afternoon.
The scenarios above are pretty blatant, but where do you draw the line? If Frank Eliason just answered 12 customer service requests and wants to rest is weary typing fingers can he read an article in his Google reader about the ROI of customer service that will aid him in a side consulting gig he’s doing for the local Elks Lodge? Maybe he clicked on it because it appealed to that gig, but clearly the knowledge acquired in that article could also help him with his day job at Comcast, right?
Stealing Clients
Personally, I don’t know of any instances where this has happened. I don’t know how you could keep it a secret, but I don’t think side projects should EVER be an excuse to swipe clients (“I can do the same thing for cheaper on weekends”) or even take on clients that could potentially be a good fit for your organization.
Case in point. I haven’t done any side projects (aside from little residual online web spaces) in awhile because I’ve been really busy, but when I did – it consisted solely of friends who ran small businesses who just wanted to learn the ropes of social media. Most paid what they could, which was great compensation for me as I simultaneously acquired more experience, but I don’t know if it would’ve turned the lights on in our office for a day. The one time a potential client came to me with a larger budget I disclosed to them immediately that I’d love to help them, but that I thought they’d be a better fit for our organization as a whole. More people = more knowledge, more resources, better execution, etc.
Though wrong, I could envision how the first two scenarios could slowly develop over time. But this last one (and again, I can’t speak to instances where it’s happened, though I’m sure it does) there’s no excuse and I wouldn’t want to with anyone that would sacrifice their integrity over something like that.
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Please weigh in. I know I’m missing other scenarios, but as someone who lacks the managerial experience of having employees do side projects I can’t think of any realistic and/or glaring situations I should add to the list. I’d appreciate your insights and would love to hear about situations you’ve encountered.
And after hearing the side both for and against side projects, which side would you take if you were a manager and your employees wanted to participate in side gigs. What rules/limitations/policy would you put in place for employees side projects?
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One that would worry me a manager would be a loss of passion for the company projects. While a lot of people don’t have passion at their 9-5, a large handful still do. When someone commits to a side project, you’ve mentioned it usually takes a form of their passion or something that they get more excitement out of in the work place. When this happens, it’s easy to feel just a hatred for work of any kind other than the side project. This can sort of fall into the category of “Disrespect for Company Time” but the real issue here is a loss of interest in all company projects/work/duties.
So, while someone may not be using company time to work on their side project, they may actually be less productive, less effective, and generally worse at their company job now that they have a new passion in their life.
Rich DeMatteo´s last blog ..A visit with Blogging4Jobs
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December 10th, 2009 at 10:29 pmAs a manager you can’t micromanage your employees. If they want to do side projects that’s perfectly okay, you should be open to see how those individuals can bring those skills into your business. Employee turnover is just too expensive in my opinion. As long as the work gets done by the timeframe it needs to be done, perhaps you could create an environment within your business that encourages collaboration between coworkers…or you could just become the next Google. Incentivize the outcome you want to see.
Alexander Rinehart MSACN´s last blog ..ARinehartDC: #followfriday @evitaochel @mikestenger @drvogelmann @kathleenshow @whoschrishughes @bradleywill @gabestrom @choosingraw
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December 11th, 2009 at 12:34 pmDon’t know what’s up with my reply button lately so I’ll hit you guys up down here…
@Rich – I guess therein lies the conundrum and everyone reacts differently, though judging by the responses from people on “The Case for Side Projects,” most people seemed to feed off the increased passion with their side projects to reinvigorate themselves for their day job.
@Alexander – All I can say is that I couldn’t agree more, especially with the notion that “As long as the work gets done by the timeframe it needs to be done.” Incentivizing outcomes are important I think, and something a lot of companies take for granted. From my vantage point, “It’s your job. Do it,” seems to carry a lot less weight than it did for the Boomer generation.
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Rich DeMatteo Reply:
December 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I do think that most people may have more energy towards their day job, but it’s still a risk. More so for those that maybe aren’t that passionate about their day job. They’ll start counting down the hours until 5, or 6, or whenever it is time to call it a day and head home.
I personally (if I was a manager) would encourage it. Loyalty is certainly gone, and people need to think of themselves first. This open policy towards side projects would most likely provide a level of respect between manager and employee and therefore encourage staff to work harder for that manager.
Rich DeMatteo´s last blog ..A visit with Blogging4Jobs
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@Rich – I’m with you here I believe. While it’s certainly a risk (aren’t most things), I think that by refusing someone that option they’ll grow increasingly bitter and apathetic whereas like you said encouraging it can provide a level of respect that entices that staffer to work harder.
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Rich DeMatteo Reply:
December 11th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Sure, all things are a risk, and I think your approach is favorable to a company and culture that looks to increase employee engagement.
I feel that the top level employees, will only grow stronger. The bottom tier of low performing employees are most likely not passionate at all about the work they do during the day, and therefore their performance probably struggles. So, if those low level employees take on side projects that they would “fall in love” with so to speak, then maybe losing them altogether wouldn’t be the worst thing for the manager/company.
Rich DeMatteo´s last blog ..A visit with Blogging4Jobs
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@Rich – If we’re being honest I don’t know hardly ANY bottom tier employees that would do side projects that would pose a conflict. In my limited experience most of them stick to television, beer league softball, etc. (nothing wrong with that at all), but certainly not something an employer could restrict.
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December 11th, 2009 at 1:56 pmI have nothing really to say back to that other than – - fair enough.
Somewhat relating story:
I have a good friend that found out his passion actually was beer. Sure, many of us enjoy beer, but he went far enough as to take on a beer distributor job, and is sent all over to beer tastings. He receives special free samples that we all can try (used to, now he’s engaged and he’s long gone).
He may not have been a high performer in his first job, but when he pursued his passion he became a top performer and loves his new life.
Rich DeMatteo´s last blog ..A visit with Blogging4Jobs
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December 11th, 2009 at 2:03 pmAs a business head, you have access to a lot of information because of your position ‘with’ a company.
I have seen a lot of wariness about side projects because such information has been used to drive side projects.
While nothing illegal may be done/ no clients stolen, I think the ‘discomfort’ it creates in client/agency or manager-executive situations indicates that something’s not quite right.
While the specifics vary, the discomfort leads to people being guarded and eventually a break comes about.
My own views on this are still evolving as we redefine careers [multiple & parallel works lives] and employment contract [real/virtual/4 days a week] etc
My current blunt bottomline is that we pay attention to what rewards us the most – the higher paying job gets/ demands more attention, even if our side-projects are a labour of love.
Cheers,
Anita
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December 11th, 2009 at 2:20 pm@Anita – I always appreciate your perspective and value your insights. I do agree that without proper disclosure and communication between the parties there can become a level of discomfort. From your experience, what are some ways to potentially alleviate this discomfort?
> Great point re: the current redefinition of careers. I think that’s part of what’s driving this phenomenon in the first place.
To think about:
If you were a manager (you are, yes?) could you fault an employee for supplementing their income if you paid less than national average? competing firms? If you do social media… How much MORE discomfort would get from employing helping a small, local business by building them a website over say… having a weekend lawn mowing gig?
And is money always that which “rewards us the most?” I’d beg to disagree I think.
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December 11th, 2009 at 2:57 pmRyan,
Confession – I deliberately left that reference to money/ rewards to observe reactions.
My personal view is that money alone doesn’t reward/ fulfil us – but is a great mechanism that helps us create more options for ourselves. It is this latter ability that we sometimes loose sight of, as we take high moral ground.
As a business owner/manager, what I can pay an employee depends on my businesses stage of life, as much as the state of economy/ business success etc
If I am a start-up blessed with great people, I may not be able to pay at par with national average. In this situation, I may reward with non-monetary incentives and also support income-supplementing side jobs.
However, most national firms that set benchmarks and pay industry-leading packages, usually expect complete focus on your role with them [implicitly, no side projects unless they're an esoteric, non-business field]
Re alleviating discomfort: I think early disclosure and communication is key – most people stop after one or two conversations whereas creating comfort requires regular reassurance and communication, until it becomes ‘normal’.
Cheers
Anita
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December 12th, 2009 at 2:07 pmRyan, very smart of you to present two sides of this topic. Personally, I’ve never run into any of the above or know folks who have. It’s really quite simple. If you’re not passionate about your 9-5, that is a separate issue from taking on side projects altogether, in my opinion.
As I pointed out in your “for side work post” bottom line is your loyalty belongs to your full time position. Therefore, you should not take on side work if it’s going to interfere with your day job. Period.
I happen to love marketing and helping people. Most of it is free advice some are paid projects. As a number of people and books point out: If you’re living your passion, it never feels like a job, day or night.
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December 20th, 2009 at 1:15 amHi Ryan, I really enjoyed your posts about the positive and negative sides of side projects. Did you notice that your positive aspects all relate to the employees perception, while the negative arguments ring true for the employers perspective. And I guess that in the same situation both sides might come to totally different conclusions (especially considering “I am growing professionally” vs “unchecked ego”). So as a negative point from the employee side I would add “no time left for family/friends”. Juggling a full time job and several side jobs might be viable if you live alone, but as soon as you are sharing your life with somebody it gets difficult as the other person might not be as happy about enjoying free time at 3 in the morning because it took you so long to get your side project done for the day.
And one question: when does a hobby (companies love their people to have hobbies, because it seems the can relax) become a side object which needs to be supervised? And how does the company find out about it if I don’t tell them?
Happy holidays!
Valentina´s last blog ..Cross-targeting: telling a story the customer can relate to
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December 24th, 2009 at 5:27 amWhat about side projects for the company?
I’ve used downtime to re-write forms my division used to make them more understandable and then presented the work to my supervisor.
Another time, I dedicated two days to writing a program (and another day testing) that cut out most of the repetitiveness out of a project I was assigned to, which allowed me to finish it in 1/3 of the time.
Edward´s last blog ..I’m a volunteer!
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January 5th, 2010 at 9:32 pm