Polygamous working | Hundreds of employees caught 'double jobbing' - experts warn the true number could be far higher

A new investigation has uncovered that almost 300 local authority employees have been caught working second full-time jobs since 2020, usually without informing their employer.

Research, conducted by Witan Solicitors, has been released amid the rising popularity of ‘polygamous working’ which is gaining traction on platforms like TikTok and Reddit, where users share tips on how to juggle multiple jobs undetected. 

Popular tactics include using ‘mouse jigglers’ to simulate activity and avoiding documentation that could trigger scrutiny. 

The figures, obtained via Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to more than 300 councils across England, reveal that 288 employees were caught in the act. Of these, 46 (15%) were either dismissed or formally disciplined after being found to have taken on another full-time job.