By side hustles, we mean working on any other professional or paid jobs outside of your work at Endorphin. It’s not always a clear-cut issue. There are one-time gigs, passion projects, entrepreneurial ambitions, or opportunities that help you grow and make life more exciting. We want to support that. But we also want to ensure that professional activities outside of Endorphin don’t create conflicts of interest or negatively affect your time, dedication, or performance at Endorphin. It’s all about balance.

With that in mind, here are examples of what’s OK and what would be considered a conflict of interest or not OK:

What’s OK

• An occasional side gig, whether free or paid, for someone you know. For instance, working on a friend’s website, or doing a design or writing project for something you’re personally involved in, is fine.
• An occasional speaking engagement, free or paid. If you’re invited to give a talk and get paid for it, that’s OK as long as it doesn’t require multiple days off for travel (unless you use personal vacation time).
• A side business that’s different from your day job, as long as it only takes up a few hours a week. However, if you’re coming to work exhausted because you’re putting in full-time hours on a side project, it will impact your performance here.
• Serving as an advisor or being on a board for another company, as long as there’s no conflict of interest. The time commitment should be minimal, and in the case of any scheduling conflicts, Endorphin should always take priority.
• Volunteer or pro-bono work for a cause you care about. Doing a little work here and there is fine, but taking on a role such as a full-time web designer for an organization during your regular work hours wouldn’t be OK.

What’s Not OK

• You can’t work full-time or part-time for another company within our industry. If you’re unsure about what exactly our industry encompasses, and have a specific situation in mind, please talk to your team lead.
• Consulting for other companies in our industry where there could be a conflict of interest (e.g., a competitor or a product related to Endorphin’s work).
• Actively marketing your availability for side work. If opportunities come through a friend or connection, that’s fine, but aggressively promoting side work could lead to a conflict of interest.
• Taking on any work that takes attention away from your responsibilities at Endorphin. For instance, if you want to launch an app, but it requires ongoing customer support, it could interfere with your day job and would be a problem.

Guiding Principles to Consider:

• Is it competitive with Endorphin’s business?
• Does it take up too much of your time?
• Is it affecting your work at Endorphin, especially in ways that impact your team?
• Does it require you to be absent during critical work hours?
• Is it another paid gig that uses the same skills Endorphin is paying you for?