Polygamous Working Cheats “Time For Money” Deal

Employment contracts generally trade money for time, but remote tools have turned time into a resource that can be sold twice. When supervision moves from physical observation to digital check-ins, the barrier to holding multiple full-time roles evaporates. This creates a reality where a worker can effectively be in two places at once, collecting two salaries while only doing the work of one—or neither. As noted by People Management, this practice, identified as 'polygamous working', challenges the core assumption of the modern workforce: that an employee is exclusive to their employer. 

The rise of this phenomenon exceeds the definition of a quirky trend, representing a systemic crack in how public institutions manage their workforce. Taxpayers assume their funds pay for dedicated service, yet data reveals a growing pattern of simultaneous employment that drains public resources. The issue extends beyond people wanting more money, creating a conflict where the employee's financial survival depends on successfully deceiving multiple organizations at once. 

The Undetected Rise of Polygamous Working in the UK 

Remote work cleared the office floor, but it also stripped away the oversight that once guaranteed an employee’s undivided attention. Without the physical requirement to sit at a specific desk, the definition of "at work" became dangerously loose. Polygamous working exploits this ambiguity. Unlike traditional moonlighting, where a person works a second job during evenings or weekends, this practice involves holding two or more full-time jobs during the exact same hours. The employee splits their focus, often prioritizing the job with the most demanding deadline while neglecting the other. 

The Scale of the Problem 

Since 2016, the Cabinet Office has tracked this specific type of fraud through a national anti-fraud initiative. The numbers paint a concerning picture of the public sector. 

• Total Cases: According to data reported by AOL, 301 public sector employees have been caught holding multiple simultaneous roles. 

• Geographic Focus: The same report notes that the vast majority of these cases—256 of them—were located in England. 

• Financial Impact: The government has recovered £1.35 million in salary payments from these individuals since tracking began. 

The trend is accelerating rather than slowing down. In the 2024-25 financial year alone, investigators identified 13 new cases, leading to a recoverable amount of £113,000. Far from being administrative errors, these represent deliberate choices to mislead employers about availability and exclusivity. 

Defining the Grey Area 

Most people understand the concept of a "side hustle," but polygamous working is distinct because of the deception involved. Moonlighting usually happens "off the clock." This new phenomenon, however, occurs "on the clock." Can you get fired for polygamous working? Yes, because most full-time contracts imply a duty of fidelity, meaning you cannot split your working hours with a competitor or another demanding role without permission. 

Economic Pressure vs. Workplace Boredom 

Loyalty usually breaks when the cost of living outpaces the value of a single paycheck. For many public sector workers, the decision to seek a second income is not born out of greed but out of mathematical necessity. Low pay in the public sector often fails to match the high living costs in areas like London. This financial gap forces employees to look for solutions, and the remote work environment provides the perfect cover to double their income without doubling their working hours. 

The Role of Automation and Boredom 

Not every case is driven by desperation; some are driven by efficiency and boredom. Imtiaz Shams, a tech CEO and former civil servant, exposed how easily this can happen. During his time in the civil sector, he utilized Excel to automate his tasks. This automation left him with excessive free time, which he initially spent browsing Reddit. Boredom became his primary motivator. 

Shams realized his £16,000 salary left a gap in his finances, so he secured a second contract. He admits this was an ethical lapse but notes that the low salary negated his guilt. His employers remained satisfied with his automated output, unaware that he was effectively working another job during those hours. This reveals a serious flaw in management: when leaders focus on hours rather than output, they fail to notice when an employee has automated their workload to zero. 

How Data Matching Exposes Polygamous Working 

You can hide your face on a Zoom call, but you cannot hide your tax code from the government. The primary method for catching these fraudsters is not suspicious managers or whistleblowers, but cold, hard data. The Cabinet Office utilizes the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) to compare vast datasets that individual departments cannot see on their own. 

The Power of the NFI 

The NFI runs data matching exercises that cross-reference payroll, pension, and benefits data. When an employee appears on two different full-time payrolls for the same tax period, the system flags the anomaly. As stated in the National Fraud Initiative Report (2020), the data matching identifies inconsistencies that require further investigation, effectively stripping away the secrecy that polygamous working relies on. 

• Scope: The initiative covers the entire UK public sector. 

• Success: This method alone has driven the recovery of over £1 million. 

• London Focus: A specific NFI report highlighted 23 cases within London Borough Councils, leading to £500,000 in identified overpaid salary. 

The Guardian reported that this exercise specifically identified a Defra employee who had been paid by both Defra and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) for full-time roles. How do employers find out about second jobs? They rely on data matching services like the NFI which alert them when an employee's national insurance number is active on multiple concurrent payrolls. Josh Simons, a Cabinet Office Minister, emphasized that these matches are vital for identifying inconsistencies that a human manager would never catch. 

Legal Loopholes and the Contract Trap 

Most employment contracts were written for a time when being in two places at once was physically impossible. The legal framework has not fully caught up to the reality of digital ubiquity. Kaajal Nathwani, an employment lawyer, points out that no formal legal definition of polygamous working currently exists. This lack of clarity creates a defense for workers who claim they are meeting the requirements of both jobs. 

The "Trust and Confidence" Breach 

Even without a specific law against it, the practice often violates the implied term of "mutual trust and confidence" found in every employment contract. 

• Fraud: If an employee explicitly lies about their hours, it crosses the line into fraud. 

• Contract Breach: If an employee simply fails to mention the second job, it is a breach of contract. 

• Grey Areas: Workers often argue that if their output is good, their methods shouldn't matter. 

However, the public sector stance is strict. Simon Radford from Barnet Council argues that the misuse of public funds is intolerable. The "camera-off culture" of remote work masks unavailability, but it does not excuse the breach of trust. When a worker is paid to be available and is secretly working elsewhere, the legal consensus shifts toward fraud, regardless of output. 

The Financial Toll on the Taxpayer 

A salary paid for zero output acts as a theft of public resources rather than a simple loss. Every pound paid to a distracted or absent employee is a pound not spent on genuine public services. The recovery numbers tell a story of significant waste. The £1.35 million recovered since 2016 is likely just the tip of the iceberg, representing only those who were caught by the NFI data dragnet. 

High-Profile Recoveries 

Recent cases highlight the severity of the offense. According to Suffolk County Council, Beatrice Eduah, a social worker, was convicted in August 2025 for fraud involving three simultaneous council jobs. She engaged in triple-dipping rather than simple double-dipping. Her conviction sends a clear message that the courts view this as criminal behavior, not just a savvy career move. 

Barnet Council also successfully recouped £10,000 from a single dual-employment fraudster. In another severe instance reported by the Peninsula Group, a former council worker was jailed after being convicted of six counts of fraud for working multiple council jobs at once, earning up to £236,000. These recoveries are vital, but the process is expensive and time-consuming. Is polygamous working a crime? It becomes a crime when deception is used to secure payment, such as falsifying timesheets or lying about conflicts of interest, leading to fraud convictions like Eduah's. 

The Cultural Rebranding of Deception 

One generation's scam is another generation's efficiency hack. While the public sector views this as fraud, a growing movement in the private sector rebrands it as "overemployment" or a "polygamous career." Scott Belsky, CPO of Adobe, suggests that the next generation prefers portfolio careers over loyalty to a single employer. They view themselves as businesses selling services to multiple clients, rather than employees owned by a boss. 

Skill Growth vs. System Cheating 

Proponents argue that holding multiple jobs accelerates skill acquisition. They claim that "devoting all time" to one employer is an archaic concept. 

• Freelance Growth: The workforce performing freelance work grew from 28% in 2019 to 36% in 2020. 

• Social Media Influence: TikTok and Instagram have popularized the idea of "stacking" jobs to reach financial freedom. 

• Fulfillment: Some argue that a single job cannot provide full professional satisfaction. 

However, this cultural shift clashes violently with public sector values. Government roles require a level of accountability that freelance work does not. When tax dollars are at stake, the "portfolio career" argument collapses. Public trust erodes when citizens realize their taxes are paying for a worker's "gap year" salary or a second income stream rather than dedicated service. 

Why Traditional Management Fails to Catch It 

Managers are trained to look for incompetence, not for the hyper-efficiency that allows polygamous working. A worker who automates their job and stays quiet looks like a model employee—until the fraud is revealed. The reliance on visibility has been replaced by a reliance on digital status indicators, which are easily manipulated. 

The Limits of Point-of-Hire Checks 

Screening experts note that standard background checks are insufficient because they only look at the past. A check done at the point of hire confirms the candidate had a job, but it doesn't confirm they quit it. 

• Continuous Screening: Regular rescreening is required to catch new jobs added after the start date. 

• Financial Data: Some organizations now use credit and financial data (with consent) to identify income sources that don't match the primary salary. 

• Reference Loopholes: Employees can ask past employers not to disclose specific dates or details, masking the overlap. 

The defense from workers often cites systemic failure. They argue that if management was truly effective, they would notice the lack of engagement. The fact that someone can hold three jobs suggests the jobs themselves are not demanding enough, pointing to bloated public sector inefficiencies. 

Legal Defenses and Worker Protections 

The law protects the vulnerable, but polygamous working exploits protections meant for the lowest earners. The Working Time Regulations set a 48-hour average weekly limit, but employees can opt out of this in writing. This loophole allows them to legally work excessive hours, provided they agree to it. 

Zero-Hour Contracts and Exclusivity 

A major contradiction exists within zero-hour contracts. 

• Exclusivity Bans: For low earners, exclusivity clauses are often unenforceable. The law wants to prevent employers from trapping low-wage workers in poverty. 

• The Loophole: Higher earners in the public sector use this logic to justify their actions, even though they do not qualify for these specific protections. 

• The Defense: Workers claim that if they are on a "wait to be called" basis or have flexible output goals, they have the right to fill their downtime. 

Stephensons' employment legal team notes that while exclusivity is unenforceable for some, "devote all time" clauses remain valid for salaried professionals. Is it illegal to have two full-time jobs in the UK? It is not inherently illegal under criminal law, but it almost always breaches the civil contract for full-time salaried roles, leading to dismissal and potential civil recovery of wages. 

The Future of Public Sector Employment 

Catching a double-dipper requires treating employees like vendors rather than family. To combat this, public sector HR strategies are shifting from trust-based models to verification-based models. The focus is moving toward output-based management, where deliverables are tracked so closely that holding a second job becomes operationally impossible. 

New Strategies for Prevention 

Organizations are adapting their contracts and monitoring tools. 

• NDAs over Non-Competes: Since non-competes are hard to enforce, NDAs are used to protect information. 

• Data Sharing: Dismissed staff are now tracked more effectively to prevent them from simply hopping to another council. 

• Zero Tolerance: The government has made it clear that prosecution is the preferred route, not just dismissal. 

This crackdown aims to restore the integrity of the civil service. The message from the Cabinet Office is that public service is a privilege, not a passive income stream. As data matching improves, the window for getting away with this fraud shrinks. 

The Collision of Digital Freedom and Forensic Data 

The rise of polygamous working exposes a structural mismatch between 20th-century employment contracts and 21st-century digital realities. While economic necessity drives some to seek double incomes, the deception required to maintain two full-time public sector roles ultimately betrays the taxpayer. The "obscured" nature of remote work allowed this trend to flourish, but the hard data of the National Fraud Initiative is bringing it to light. 

As the public sector tightens its grip with better data matching and stricter enforcement, the era of easy double-dipping is coming to an end. The conflict remains: workers seek financial security in an expensive world, while the state demands the exclusive loyalty it pays for. Until wages align with living costs or management moves strictly to output-based models, the temptation to game the system will persist. However, for now, the data trail ensures that those who split their time will eventually face the consequences of their divided loyalty.