Stories of starting a business at the expense of your employer's business have the same tabloid tone used to spread rumors about office affairs or political conspiracies. A person who wants to start a business, but still works for someone else, is often very cautious about stealth phone calls, in the desire to confess what he is doing, to hide personal papers under a folder, to pretend to go casual to the fax or printer, silently praying that no one will see it.
Against time, the temptation to "snoop" from the confines of the cubicle is sometimes too intense to ignore, and you will find yourself wondering if the word - "ethics" - is going to haunt your every professional act. However, with a proper ethical perspective and a keen eye for precautions, spending a few hours of your work time will benefit not only you, as you approach self-employment, but your boss, as many "cheats" admit work much harder so they don't surprise you.
Productivity as Insurance.
Nechelle Feaster, 24, admits that leaning on the company where she worked was worth a lot to her during the two years it took to complete her multimedia company. Between 1996, when she launched De Tai Technologies, as a part-time company, and 1998, when she finally quit her job, Feaster paid her bills working in the medical and entertainment industries.
Both jobs helped her not only to pay the rent, but also helped start her own business, since the tools she needed, such as a computer, fax and photocopier, were in the company where she was employed, although sometimes it was not convenient to use them. "You're always looking over your shoulder," recalls Feaster, "trying to figure things out as quickly as possible; you print at full speed, trying to pretend that you are doing something related to daily office tasks; nothing from outside ».
Although Feaster told her colleagues about her upcoming business, they were unaware of the implications of her other job, and although her bosses never asked her for explanations, she ended up asking herself.
It is about knowing to what extent one is tormented, not by guilt, but by anxiety, trying to do everything at the same time. «In my last job they believed that I was a super worker, because I was always at my desk, but in reality, I didn't even have time to talk, because I had to juggle my job and my business.
I used my time much better; If I hadn't had to alternate with my own business, I would have done things that would have been a waste of time, like taking extra breaks or calling my friends. The business made me focus more.
For some employers like Feaster, anxiety pushes them to do better in both areas of work. “My employment was not negatively affected, in fact, the opposite happened. I think it would have made me much more anxious if my business had affected my employment, and then maybe they would have surprised me. ”
Remember the Golden Rule
If as a child you did not have to repeat the mantra of good children, "do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you," it would be time to do so if you are in an ethical impasse.
Especially when they have to hire employees, some employers discover the difficult way: what was valid when they were not bosses now is. Another argument for observing the golden rule: you know who your friends are, but do you know who the boss's friends are?
Terrence Young, owner of New Image Enterprises, Inc., a consulting firm in Portland, calls his clients while working at an advertising agency, but is careful not to cross the line of personal ethics. "It really is hard to work in your own business after 5 or 6 in the afternoon, when customers start to wonder why I didn't call them during the day," says Young, 28. "When I make the calls, I don't harm my boss or think it is a conflict of interest because I don't offer advertising jobs." Lucky to work three blocks from his home, Young runs away during lunch to send emails and make as many phone calls as possible, so as not to make them from the office. "I am sure it does not interfere with my employment,Because if you do something that interferes with your full-time job, you will surely be shot in the butt, "warns Young.
First, it will spoil your current job. Second, you never know who knows who. If customers find you unethical, you just put the noose around your neck. "
Keep them separate.
Most of the dilemmas when starting a business at the expense of your employer are related to the questions of whether it is correct to make contact with your boss's clients, if you can apply the ideas of the job that relate to it, and what So much can deviate from the threat of a "non-compete" clause in your employment contract.
Some employers choose to circumvent these restrictions, and spend their work time on anything other than their own business. Christopher Jones, owner of the consulting and business development company Progressive Solutions in New York, knew that he had to gain experience in the professional world before launching into starting his own business, but he did not want to risk taking it.
Before dedicating himself full time to his company in 1991, he worked for two years in various companies, including one for alarms and one for accounting programs. "It's always difficult to hide and not hide anything, at least for me," she says. “I did all my (business) work in the evenings and on weekends, but my boss never noticed that I was exhausted all the time. I didn't tell him what I was doing because I think what you do outside of work hours is not the boss's business. "
Before this separation of "Church and State", the 31-year-old businessman adds: "Another thing that helped me reflect ethically is that I never competed in the same field. A requirement was to work in places that were similar but not competitive. Although it is difficult, it is worth it when you are in the beginning stage of your own company. »
Apply Ethics in Business
Still looking for a guide to the ethical implications of cheating on your boss? Even for experts, nothing is presented in black and white. Joe Badaracco, professor of business ethics at the Harvard Business School, believes that there are no concrete rules when it comes to the ethical implications of cheating. It depends on the implicit contract you have, he points out. "I think the main thing is: are you doing your job? Does it do as the company expects it to do? You are likely to be at risk if you stray too far from that. However, I am not sure that stealing time does not have any difference with stealing something in a store, "adds Badaracco. "On the other hand, my impression and my hope is that people will be paid for doing the job, not for sitting in their chair."
That is, although for some the "theft" of time and resources is equivalent to robbing the interests (especially the profits) of their boss, Badaracco believes that as long as the work is done, it is something that can be forgiven and forgotten. But will the boss think the same? Badaracco warns that sometimes it is better not to open your heart to a superior. "Bosses like to believe that they are the soul and body of their employees," he adds. Maybe it's an illusion, but depending on your boss, sometimes it's a necessary illusion, and maybe it's better not to disappoint him. The last word?
As encouragement for entrepreneurs anxious to launch their own company, but who still work for other companies, Badaracco advises that ethics will always depend on each situation. Put your judgment to work. "My general view is that if you can say in good conscience that you are doing your job, the rest of your life is yours alone."
