Salesforce open. Two screens. Always on a call. Marcus works in business development at a fast-growing tech company and he runs his own consultancy on the side.
His employer has no idea.
He takes client calls during office hours. Uses his work laptop. Built his client list from contacts made in his day job. Last week a client mentioned his name in a pitch meeting.
The wrong pitch meeting.
This isn’t just a disciplinary issue. Depending on what Marcus has done with company data it could be a GDPR matter. Depending on what his contract says, a breach of contract claim. And depending on how the employer handles it from here, an unfair dismissal case.
✅ 3 THINGS EVERY EMPLOYER NEEDS IN PLACE BEFORE MARCUS HAPPENS TO THEM
1. A secondary employment policy. Employees should disclose outside work and seek approval where a conflict of interest could arise.
2. A data use policy covering personal devices, client contacts and use of company information outside working hours.
3. Contracts reviewed and updated. A contract written before hybrid working and the gig economy is not fit for purpose in 2026.
At People Vision HR we review employment contracts and workplace policies to make sure they reflect the way people actually work now — before a client drops a name in the wrong meeting.