Mon, 26 Jan 2026

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 'Low pay and boredom led me to get a secret second job'

Imtiaz had a public sector job but said the pay was low, he took another job in the private sector.

* Efforts are being made by the public sector to crack down on staff who work multiple jobs at the same time, in secret.
* This practice, known as polygamous working, has become more prevalent with the growth of remote working and can be potentially unlawful depending on employment contracts.
* Since 2016, the Cabinet Office's national anti-fraud initiative has caught out 301 employees in the public sector and recovered £1.35m in salary payments.
* A recent case involved a social worker who worked at three different councils at the same time and was ordered to pay back one of her employers.
* Imtiaz, a former public sector employee, believes that many workers are not paid enough and are being punished for a broken system.
* Barnet Council's leader, Alex Burghart MP, has accused the government of not properly monitoring second jobs and outside roles in the civil service.
* The government is expanding data-matching to target polygamous workers more aggressively.
* Local authorities and the government are increasing scrutiny on those working two jobs in secret.
  >>