I have a second job – which my employer knows about & has OKed – & which I put up on LinkedIn as a way to try & build up a client base. Bosslady saw the job listed on LinkedIn & asked me to remove it “as it looks like you have left us”. Any ideas on how to get around it without upsetting the Bosslady? Or do I just ignore her? I don’t want to lose her goodwill but equally it’s my life outside work.

How about a 2nd linkedin profile for your other job?

Does it affect the way you perform your job in anyway? If not, then in my opinion, its got nothing at all to do with your employer.

That’s quite a positive endorsement from the bosslady really. The end of the sentence ‘it looks like you’ve left us’ is probably ‘and we really value you and don’t want people to think we’ve lost you’.

Try talking to her and finding out where the concerns come from and approach the problem that way. Once you know what’s driving her concerns you’ll be in a better position to solve the problem.

Heck you may even find that she’s so keen to keep you, you get a raise so that you don’t have to work the second job!

Do people you deal with in your ‘main’ job link to you on linked in?

I’d be a bit peeved if my staff were promoting other activities that my customers coudl see?

As above – either set up a second profile or maybe just start a blog and use that to promote your other business – you can point linked in to that without compromising your current employer?

I’d be a bit peeved if my staff were promoting other activities that my customers coudl see?

Me too. Ok to work another job but it should not be obvious to customers of one that you are doing the other. Do both require the use of linked in?

I have two current postions on my LinkedIn profile too – although I’m about to ditch one of them.

If the second job has been approved by your company, then you should be able to advertise / promote that.

Issues around poaching customers etc., should be dealt with in a formal agreement, not the say so of a line manager.

I guess it would depend (to me) what the second job was.

For example, we have an employee who has a second job as a DJ – we know about it and don’t mind.

However, if he was doing a second job in the same line of work, taking potential customers from us and using the skills we are paying for him to develop (training, books, course attendance etc) then I would be pretty annoyed.

She sounds pretty reasonable to me, she’s allowing you pursue other job, she just does not want it to impact her business…which is totally understandable. Personally, I think you should do what she asks, she’s been OK with you, I’d reciprocate.

Doesn’t being on Linkedin generally mean you’re ‘on the market’ anyway? Doesn’t that give the message to your current employer that you could potentially leave at any time?

jon1973 – a lot of people use linked in to promote their business activities.

I’ve used a lot of contract staff in the past – it’s easy to see if they’re available on there too, granted.