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????親愛的安妮：一年前，我愛人被裁員。從那之后，為了增加家里的收入，我開始兼職做一些咨詢工作。我發現，我真的非常喜歡這份工作，甚至想把它當作全職來做。問題是，現在我該怎么跟老板說呢？ ????迄今為止，我做咨詢工作都是盡量利用自己晚上和周末的業余時間，同時非常謹慎地避免利用公司資源來做兼職項目。（我都是在家里開展咨詢業務，用的也是單獨的電子郵件地址、電話線等。）但是，如果我不把這件事告訴老板，好像顯得不夠誠實。尤其是，我們還是朋友。我是不是有義務告訴他這件事呢？——雙面人 ????親愛的雙面人：這得看具體情況了。你們公司有沒有相關的正式管理制度，要求你必須公開你的兼職工作（比如許多大學和公司就會有這樣的規定）？或者，你是否簽署過要求公開兼職信息的勞動合同呢？ ????如果有的話，那么你應該這么做：保持沉默。風險是你可能會失去目前的工作，比計劃中更快地成為一名全職咨詢師。 ????《朝九晚五療法：改造你的人生——做你所想》（The 9-to-5 Cure: Work on Your Own Terms and Reinvent Your Life）一書的作者克里斯汀?卡迪納雷認為，即便沒有制度或者合同要求你公開兼職工作情況，但是，由于你跟老板還是朋友關系，“這里就涉及一個信任的問題。” ????卡迪納雷對身兼數職的情況了如指掌。她本身既是美國密爾沃基市的一名職業導師，教授大學課程，同時還創辦和經營著一家技術支持公司，以及一家全國性的會議公司。 ????卡迪納雷表示：“為了獲得主動，你可以告訴老板你正在做的事情，以避免他從別的途徑得知，而使情況變得更加棘手。因為他可能會認為，你是在背著他這么做，這肯定不是你想要的結果。” ????但是，把你正在做的事情告訴他，并不意味著你必須得解釋原因。在這種情況下，你的表達方式非常重要（在其他情況下也是如此）。卡迪納雷強調，如果你說：“我已經開始了自己的咨詢業務，并且正努力把它變成一份全職生意。”這肯定行不通，因為，“如果你那么說，你的老板肯定會認為，你呆在他的公司只是權宜之計，隨時會離開。” ????所以，告訴他你目前的咨詢項目，但不要提及你的長期規劃。卡迪納雷表示：“如果你告訴他，你獲得了一份兼職工作，并且強調這只是短期的——比如，只是接下來的一兩個月——而且你還要強調，這會提高你的專業技能，這樣你需要承擔的風險就會很小，甚至根本沒有風險。” ????她補充道：“而且，你說的也都是真話。除非你已經決定了，要開始全職開展咨詢業務，否則，你只不過是在摸索而已。” ????另外，你目前的情況并不少見。2010年，據美國勞工統計局報告，約350萬美國人，即工作人口的4.5%，在從事一份全職工作的同時，也在從事副業。對于與你有類似情況的人，卡迪納雷給出了三條建議： ????1. 在從事兼職工作時，只能利用自己的資源，絕對不要占用老板的資源。雖然你已經在這么做了，但是這一點還是值得再次強調。在公司系統內給咨詢客戶發電子郵件，或者利用工作時間來完成兼職工作，這會讓你丟掉飯碗。 ????2.向客戶申明你的兼職時間。卡迪納雷建議：“事先跟你的兼職客戶說明，你正在從事全職工作，在正常工作時間，可能不一定能提供服務。”盡管模糊時間的界限聽上去很誘人，但你應該把全職工作放在首要位置——除非你決定辭職。 ????3. 量力而行。在安排時間時，要給自己留下調整的余地，這樣才不會讓你心力交瘁。卡迪納雷表示：“很大程度上，咨詢工作靠客戶相互推薦。所以，你肯定希望能有足夠的精力，為客戶提供最優質的服務，這樣他們才會把你推薦給其他人。” ????她補充道，之所以讓你量力而行，另外一個原因是，“既然你現在還在摸索階段，你的兼職工作應該成為一種積極的經驗，而不是讓你筋疲力盡。”對于你目前應付不了的業務，還是婉拒吧，不用擔心：“如果你設定了可以勝任的業務范圍，那么，當你真正接手一個項目的時候，你就能更出色地把它完成——實際上，你這么做，你的客戶會更尊重你。” ????祝你好運！ |
????Dear Annie: Ever since my spouse got laid off about a year ago, I've been supplementing our income by taking on some consulting work in addition to my regular job. I've found that I really enjoy it, and eventually I'd like to segue into it as a full-time occupation. The question is, what do I tell my boss in the meantime? ????So far, I've managed to fit my consulting work into my own time on evenings and weekends, and I'm very careful to avoid the use of any company resources for outside projects. (My consulting business is home-based and has a separate email address, phone line, etc.) Still, it seems dishonest not to mention to my boss that I'm doing this, especially since we are friends. Do I have an obligation to tell him? — Double Agent ????Dear Double:?That depends. Does your employer have a formal policy requiring that you disclose any outside employment (as many universities and some companies do), or do you have an employment contract that calls for disclosure? ????If so, the decision is made for you: By keeping mum about your part-time gig, you run the risk of becoming a full-time consultant sooner than you planned. ????But even if not, particularly since your boss is also your friend, "there's a trust factor involved," says Kristin Cardinale, author of a book called The 9-to-5 Cure: Work on Your Own Terms and Reinvent Your Life. ????Cardinale knows a thing or two about wearing multiple hats. A Milwaukee-based career coach who also teaches college courses, she founded and runs both a tech support company and a national seminar firm. ????"As a pre-emptive move, you could tell your boss what you're doing, just to avoid a potentially sticky situation if he hears about it some other way," Cardinale says. "You don't want to seem to be doing this behind his back." ????Telling him what you're doing doesn't mean, however, that you have to reveal why. In these situations, as in so many others, how you phrase it makes all the difference. Saying "I've started my own consulting practice, and I'm working on building it into a full-time business" would probably be a mistake, since "putting it that way is likely to make your boss start thinking of you as temporary and on your way out," Cardinale notes. ????Instead, mention a current consulting project without bringing up your long-term plan. "There is little to no risk involved in saying you've taken on an outside gig if you emphasize that it's short-term -- say, for the next couple of months -- and if you stress how it's helping you sharpen your professional skills," says Cardinale. ????"And you're not saying anything untrue," she adds. "After all, until you are ready to make the leap into full-time consulting, you're still just exploring." ????By the way, this situation is less unusual than you may think. In 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 3.5 million Americans, or 4.5% of the workforce, held a full-time job while also pursuing a part-time sideline. For anyone considering doing likewise, Cardinale offers three tips: ????1. Be fanatical about using your own resources, not your employer's, for outside work. You're already doing this, but the point bears repeating. Emailing consulting clients on the company's system, or devoting time during work hours to meeting an outside deadline, can get you sacked. ????2. Clearly define your availability. "Be upfront with your outside clients about the fact that you're working full-time and may not always be reachable during regular business hours," Cardinale advises. Tempting as it may be to let the boundaries blur, your full-time job has to be your top priority -- at least until you decide to leave it. ????3. Don't bite off more than you can chew. Build some breathing room into your schedule so you don't burn out. "Consulting works on referrals. You want to have enough energy to give clients your best work, so they'll recommend you to others," Cardinale says. ????Another reason not to take on too much at once is that "while you're still trying this out, it should be a positive experience, not one that leaves you exhausted," she adds. Don't worry about turning away business that, realistically, you can't handle right now: "If you set limits -- so that, when you do take on a project, you can give it your very best -- clients will actually respect you more." ????Good luck! |
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