The Hidden Crisis of Dual Employment: Protecting Your Workforce, Your Data, and Your Bottom Line

Introduction

Do you know how many of your employees have two full-time jobs? The answer may shock you.

Remote work has transformed the modern workforce, giving employees unprecedented flexibility. But this new era of work has also exposed companies to an alarming new risk: dual employment. According to a ResumeBuilder study, 37% of remote workers are holding two full-time jobs concurrently. More than 50% of overly employed workers are employed in the same industry, which may create a conflict of interest by increasing the risk of intellectual property theft, trade secret leaks, and regulatory violations. Additionally, 29% of these workers earn over $100K annually, meaning companies are investing in employees who may be splitting their loyalty and productivity.

This problem, known as "overemployment," is more than just an HR headache. It’s a direct threat to company productivity, operational integrity, and even national security. Businesses need a way to uncover these risks before they spiral out of control.

The Growing Problem of Overemployment

Historically, employees seeking additional income would take on part-time work in unrelated fields—bartending on weekends or freelancing outside their primary working hours. But overemployment is different. It refers to employees holding two full-time positions at the same time, often in the same industry, with both employers unaware of the deception.

Consider these risks:

Productivity Decline: Employees juggling two full-time jobs cannot give their full attention to either role. Nearly 47% of overemployed workers are putting in more than 50-70 hours per week, leaving little room for quality work in either position.
Security Risks: Employees with access to sensitive data, trade secrets, or intellectual property may be working for a direct competitor, posing an immediate and catastrophic risk to business integrity.
Workplace Culture Erosion: Teams built on trust and accountability falter when employees exploit remote work policies to game the system.
Regulatory and Compliance Pitfalls: For industries handling financial, legal, or government data, employee dual employment could pose compliance violations with costly legal implications.

And the problem is growing. With over 36 million employees projected to work remotely by 2025, businesses face an increasing challenge in ensuring their workforce is dedicated, ethical, and not compromised by conflicting employment.

Why Standard Background Checks Fail

Traditional pre-employment background checks are no longer enough. A clean resume and strong references do not protect against an employee securing multiple full-time roles after being onboarded. Even periodic performance reviews or security protocols cannot detect employees splitting their time and focus across multiple organizations.

That’s why businesses need continuous employment monitoring.

Introducing SideCheck, Powered by Equifax®

SideCheck is an additional service to Thuro’s platinum standard post employment continuous monitoring solutions. Giving companies an unparalleled advantage in detecting and preventing dual employment fraud. By leveraging real-time employment verification us The Work Number® Database, SideCheck provides insights into employee work status and alerts businesses to potential risks.

With SideCheck, businesses can:

Proactively Identify Overemployed Workers: Get alerts when employees hold multiple full-time jobs.
Reduce Security and Competitive Risks: Help ensure proprietary data stays within your company.
Preserve Workplace Integrity: Help maintain fairness in workload distribution and team expectations.
Prevent Financial Waste: Stop paying for employees who are only partially committed to their role.

The Thuro Advantage: True Investigative Expertise

The Work Number® Database provides the raw employment data, then Thuro goes further by combining insights with deep investigative methodologies. Our expert team, with over 7 decades of experience, specializes in uncovering intentional deception, identity fraud, and high-risk employment patterns that put businesses at risk.

By partnering with Thuro, companies gain:

Expert Analysis: Our investigators interpret employment verification data and detect anomalies that automated systems miss.
Proactive Risk Mitigation: We help employers take action before dual employment leads to financial or reputational damage.
Regulatory Compliance Protection: Our legally sound, FCRA-compliant methodologies ensure that your business stays protected.

Protecting Your Business Starts Here

The risk of dual employment is not a theoretical issue—it’s happening today, and it’s costing companies millions in lost productivity, security breaches, and reputational damage. Employers must act now to detect, prevent, and mitigate these risks before they compromise business operations.

Thuro’s employment screening services + SideCheck offer the most advanced tools and investigative expertise to help businesses stay ahead of the problem.

Are your employees truly committed to your company? Or are they working for someone else on your dime?

Contact Thuro today to learn how SideCheck can protect your workforce, your data, and your bottom line.

Kevin Prendergast is the President at Thuro, a corporate investigative firm serving clients since 1953. Kevin oversees the compliance program at Thuro and works with clients and their counsel in developing legally compliant corporate investigation programs. Kevin graduated from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law and has been licensed to practice law since 1987. He is a member of the Professional Background Screeners Association and he holds advanced FCRA Certification from the PBSA. Thuro is accredited by the PBSA and is a member of the Better Business Bureau. You can contact Kevin at kprendergast@thuro.ai.

Sources:

Resumebuilder, October 2022.

Equifax Data Study - The Work Number, October 2022

The Work Number is a product of Equifax Inc., Atlanta, Georgia.