US Man Juggles Up To Nine Full-Time Remote Jobs And Earns 6-Figures By Hiring People To Do His Tasks

Working overtime or over the line?

An American man has discovered a unique route to a substantial income, reportedly managing as many as nine full-time remote positions simultaneously. His strategy? Delegating tasks to others. While this unconventional approach has allowed him to achieve a six-figure salary, it raises a significant question: Is this way of working fair and morally sound?

For Harrison, handling six distant work roles sometimes leads to scheduling conflicts, but he has a particular method of coping. He employs someone to stand in for him in virtual meetings. 'My person knows the updates and kind of sounds like me,' Harrison said, noting that his virtual meetings usually didn't need his video to be on.

Double-Booked And Delegated

Although Business Insider confirmed Harrison's identity, he requested to be called by a different name, expressing concern about potential negative impacts on his career. Harrison, a Gen Xer working as a quality assurance expert in the tech industry, has assembled a group of seven individuals who are aiding him in secretly maintaining several full-time positions.

If his work arrangement continues as it is, he anticipates making £618252.00 ($800,000) this year and compensating his team around £193203.75 ($250,000) — his pay rate is approximately £19.32 to £23.18 ($25 to $30) per hour.

Harrison is entering his fifth year of employing this system to increase his earnings. In 2023, he held six full-time remote positions based in the US — three as a direct employee and three as an advisor — and his income reached approximately £363223.05 ($470,000), as shown in his financial records.

The Numbers Game

He calculated that after compensating his helpers, his earnings were around £247300.80 ($320,000). In 2024, he mentioned managing up to nine jobs simultaneously, projecting that he would make over £386407.50 ($500,000) after paying his team. He will have a clearer figure once his tax filings are finalised.

'I used to be nervous about the boss, losing in the stock market, bills, kids' tuition,' he said. 'The big difference of having more jobs is I'm less nervous — because if something doesn't go well, it's not going to kill me.'

During the last three years, BI says it has spoken with over twenty 'over-employed' individuals who have secretly taken on several jobs to increase their earnings and employment stability.

However, Harrison belongs to an even more select group of individuals who manage numerous jobs by paying others to handle a portion or the majority of their tasks. This pattern has become easier due to the rise of remote work, worldwide online connections, and the increasing availability of software that enables the delegation of one's work.

Ethics And Security In Remote Work

Indeed, managing multiple jobs without the go-ahead from employers could negatively impact one's career and result in exhaustion. Furthermore, the push for employees to return to physical offices and a decrease in hiring within office-based sectors have made it more challenging to secure remote positions.

The practice of simultaneously holding multiple remote jobs and delegating the work to others is widely viewed as unethical due to concerns around potential time theft and conflicts of interest. This approach can also lead to breaches of employment agreements and violations of company regulations.

It's important to consider the potential downsides and consequences of engaging in double employment. Here are the considerations:

Time Theft

When an individual is compensated for a specific number of work hours per week by one employer but does not dedicate those hours to fulfilling the responsibilities for that role, it essentially amounts to misappropriating the employer's time.

'Time theft is the inappropriate use of work hours or reporting time not worked,' as explained by ADP, a leading provider of payroll and HR solutions.

Divided Loyalties

Holding positions at multiple organisations simultaneously, particularly within closely related sectors or when handling sensitive data, can generate significant conflicts of interest. According to SHRM, citing the 2016 Ethics & Compliance Third-Party Risk Management Benchmark Report, conflicts of interest are companies' primary worry regarding managing risks associated with external parties, even more so than bribery/corruption and fraud.

Breaking The Agreement

Numerous employment agreements contain provisions that prevent employees from taking on other jobs or engaging in activities that might clash with their responsibilities to the current employer. According to NIDirect, the official government services website for Northern Ireland (UK), an employment contract represents a legally binding agreement between an employee and their employer.

A breach of this contract occurs when either party fails to uphold one of its terms, such as the employer neglecting to pay agreed wages or the employee not working the stipulated hours.

Beyond The Contract

Numerous organisations maintain internal regulations that discourage or outright forbid employees from holding multiple jobs concurrently, even if such restrictions are not specifically outlined in their employment agreements.

According to Witan Solicitors, it is not against the law for an employee in the UK to have more than one job. Nevertheless, employment agreements may include specific terms, often called 'exclusivity' or 'outside interests' clauses, that limit or prevent employees from undertaking additional employment, as noted by Mad-HR.

The Moral Maze

Regardless of its legal standing, many individuals view it as morally questionable to accept more work than they can realistically handle personally, particularly when this practice risks diminishing the standard of output for various employers.

It's often seen as a breach of ethical conduct to knowingly accept work that you cannot perform adequately, as it can lead to adverse outcomes for all parties involved. When individuals overcommit, it can negatively impact their colleagues, clients, and even their own well-being as they struggle to meet unrealistic expectations, as time management coach Anna Dearmon Kornick noted.

The Ripple Effect

The practice of overemployment has the potential to tarnish the reputation of remote workers as a whole. It could consequently endanger the continued expansion of remote work opportunities for all.

As industrial-organisational psychologist Paul Spector suggested, a more ethical way for individuals managing multiple jobs would be to inform each employer of their other positions openly. 'I had to do that when I was a full-time professor by completing an annual disclosure form,' he admits.

Another option for individuals seeking to work with several companies is to establish a contracting business and then offer their services to as many clients as they can secure.

The Future Of Over-Employment

The case of the US man juggling multiple remote jobs and outsourcing tasks highlights a complex intersection of opportunity, ethics, and the evolving world of work. While the allure of a six-figure income through such unconventional means is undeniable, the underlying questions of honesty, commitment to employers, and the potential ramifications for the broader remote work landscape remain critical.