In a leaked memo, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke put limits on employees having side hustles, saying Shopify requires ‘unshared attention’::Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke discourages employees from side hustles in company memo, saying their jobs require their undivided attention.
Just wanted to add that part of this may be a culture thing. Here in Germany, you are required to get your employers permission to get a second job or the like. Many of you might instinctively find this corporate BS, but in reality it’s mainly worker’s protection. No employee is allowed to work over 60 (I think) hours in a week. To make the companies stick to that, the government will come for them if any worker exceeds this number. Your employer has the responsibility to not let you exceed that, even across multiple jobs. That’s why you have to get permission for side hustles. There are other (not so pro worker) reasons for this, but that would go too far. Suffice to say that Lütke is German and this might be some thing he brought from Germany.
I feel like that’s some pro-worker framing, but this could just as easily be framed in an anti-worker fashion…
It depends on the societal framework. That would be anti-worker in the U.S. because you’d be sentencing some people to death, since the U.S. doesn’t have guaranteed livable wages or livable safety nets for those out of work. Given the assumption that you can make ends meet, mandating a cap on the hours spent working for someone else’s benefit and missing out on your own life is pro-human.
Is there some mechanism that ensures that a person is paid well enough to support themself and possibly a dependent on <= 60 hrs/week? In the US the federal minimum wage, which was last raised 14 years ago, is insufficient for the cost of living in some areas.
There is a minimum wage that’s not too shabby (not good, make no mistake, but will prevent you from going hungry) and if a person is working but under the existential minimum, the government will basically put them on unemployment benefits and top up their salary to bring them up to said minimum. The system has faults, yes, and most people will do everything on their power to not be dependent on the government for that, but it will keep (cheap) food in the fridge.
Yeah, in a lot of ways I feel like this has the same vibe as “CEO believes that children should not be allowed to work”. Perhaps somewhere out there is a kid that would like more money, and so denying them opportunities sounds very anti-freedom - but it would moreover be a flag about something broken in society and their ability to take care of themselves.
Wait. If I choose to work multiple jobs and I choose to work 65 hrs a week because (reasons) that’s against the law and it’s somehow the employer’s burden to stop that?
Edit: I say this as a person who values his time and work life balance. Maybe when I was in my 20s and had more energy then sense of have done that.
Exactly, yes. The same goes for working more than 10hrs in a single day.
Edit: that does not apply to self-employed people. So if you work 90 hrs in your own company, that’s fine.
I’d have a real big problem with that. People are cool with that in Germany?
Yes, people here are absolutely fine with that. You probably come from a very different world culture-wise. First of all, second jobs are not the norm here. It’s rather rare, actually and most second jobs are hobbies you take money for, like photography or the like. Your employer will almost certainly not even bother to ask any further.
Secondly: your employer cannot object just because they don’t like your face. There are set criteria. They will object if your second job would conflict directly with your first job, that’d be if you work at a competitor, would have work hours in your second job that conflict with those of your first job or would work too much all together. That’s it.