I’m taking on freelance small jobs because my salary isn’t enough, and my coworker noticed this. “If you don’t focus on your own work, they might ask you to leave,” she said. But I’m working outside of office hours, and it doesn’t harm anyone. In fact, sometimes I’m doing unnecessary overtime for work. Do you think I’m pushing the limits, or should everyone get what they deserve? Honestly, this has created some tension between us.
Honey, you say you’re working extra hours, that’s fine, but they pay attention to such things at the workplace. If it were my daughter doing the same thing, I would still say ‘just don’t attract too much attention.’ Even if you’re right, sometimes an aggressive coworker can make you look bad in front of your boss.
There’s another situation for me here. Why did this co-worker go directly into accusing mode? They’ve clearly been tracking your freelance work. Could it be that they’re jealous of you? Maybe they want to catch you out to get ahead.
But there is something like this: even if you’re not using the company’s resources, there’s still the issue of energy. If you work with freelance in the evening, he might think that your work performance could be affected the next day. Shouldn’t we give the poor guy a little credit? I mean, what he meant by ‘slacking off’ might be related to this.
Let’s evaluate the situation a bit more objectively. Generally, there isn’t a specific clause in labor law stating “you cannot work freelance,” but it can vary according to the internal regulations of the workplace. I suggest you take a look at your employment contract with the company; sometimes there are written clauses that restrict extra work even outside of working hours.
Let me also point out that my colleague is quite close to the bosses, and I’m afraid of him blowing this tension up and making it a big deal. It doesn’t affect my work performance; in fact, I’ve mentioned that I’m staying late for unnecessary overtime. But is it normal for him to come down on me just because I’m a freelancer?