Jackson Jambalaya

Im a state employee and they can really kiss it if they think anything I do after 5 and on the weekends is any of their buisness. I'll wait on them to come find me at my second job and we can discuss....... and I'll laugh right in their face! Especially since we haven't been informed in the slightest that there was a change, for which we have to sign that we have read and agree with said change.... until then they cannot do anything about what we do off the clock!

the same is true with federal employees

"Thanks" for alerting HR - now we state employees will have to deal with this! No one has mentioned it up to this point.

Most state employees already have to sign a general "I will engage in no activities which could be a conflict of interest with my current position" statement. Why the overkill?

It kind of presumes that the employee is BOUND to do something wrong -- I guess there is no presumption of innocence in employment.

Maybe if they paid us a reasonable salary and an annual raise, like the rest of the workforce gets, we wouldn't have to seek out second jobs!

AMEN 11:14!

I am a retiree from one of the state universities, and I remember there being a form that employees (faculty and staff) were supposed to complete and submit before engaging in outside employment.

Frankly, I think it was designed to make sure employees were not engaging in "consulting" work that might be deemed an extension of and/or a conflict with the primary job.

I don't think it was meant to penalize employees who take on a second job at Wal-Mart or Lowe's, which are two places that I know have employed university employees in second jobs.

This policy (or a very similar one) has been in place at UMMC for at least 10 years.

Consulting jobs already are conflicts of interest and would be covered by the statements employees sign at the start of employment. And keep in mind, employees who ARE going to take interest-conflicting jobs aren't likely to self-report, even if required to. What this does is place a burden, even disincentive, on law and rule-obeying employees.

Keep in mind, the definition of "conflict of interest" in the State Handbook includes actions "which could result in questioning the integrity of State government." That's a fairly nebulous definition and it leaves "conflict of interest" somewhat in the eye of the beholder. What if a state employee (not employed by the Tax Commission or ABC) gets a weekend job as a bartender at club with a wild reputation? And what if that employee's supervisor/HR director is a teetotaler and considers such employment less-than-reputable? The request could conceivably be denied, and there is no recourse for that employee.

I don't want my after-hours activities decided by the State -- I want even less for them to be decided by my supervisor or HR director.

For some reason this doesn't just "freak me out" or anything. Its been policy at my work since I began working here 8 years ago (NOT a state agency). You just have to ask permission to get another part time job so they can ensure it won't interfere with regular job duties. They usually are totally fine with it as long as you are performing your job duties and working the required 40 hours per week.

I'm surprised this hasn't been state policy previous to now. My employer tends to follow federal and state lead on most everything.

I know one problem in my agency is freelancing.

People are taking off during the week when they are needed for projects to work a second job.

Welcome to the Highway Patrol where if you are not liked by the Col or anyone one else in your chain of command, you will get denied in hopes of causing you hardship and hopes that you will get into a financial bind and they can fire you for it. Also, when you are found to have had a second job and did not let them know it gives them a backdoor way of getting rid of you because they do not like your politics or you are not a "Team Player".

I'm a state employee, too, and have a handful of after-hours gigs I do to make ends meet, and as far as I'm concerned they can kiss my ass if they think what I do after 5 p.m. is any of their business. If I didn't have any of this work then I'd not be able to continue to be a state employee. I'm in a terminal "non state service" position with no chance of promotion or merit raise. I've got to make sure the lights stay on at my place somehow.