It’s a question a lot of executives don’t want to ask themselves — but they should. Stories are everywhere about employees juggling multiple “full-time” jobs at once, and online communities like Reddit’s r/overemployed are exploding with people openly trading strategies on how to pull it off. At the same time, some employees are taking home $100K–$150K salaries while actually putting in just 10–20 hours of work each week. Companies are footing the bill for full-time pay without full-time productivity.

 

AI has poured fuel on the fire

The rise of generative AI has only made the problem worse. Some employees are copying and pasting AI-generated responses and submitting them as their own work product. The actual time investment? A fraction of what it should be. That means companies are paying for 40 hours of effort, but in reality may only be getting half of that — or less.

 

The math doesn’t add up

If one “overemployed” worker can manage four full-time jobs, it’s a glaring signal that the role itself only requires 10–15 hours a week. In effect, businesses are paying four times the agreed-upon rate per hour. It raises a bigger, uncomfortable question: are many “full-time” jobs really part-time by nature?

 

The messy middle

Yes, employment agreements exist, and yes, companies can restrict secondary employment. But that gets murky fast. Is weekend bartending okay? Freelance design work? Consulting on the side? Add in loyalty concerns, confidentiality issues, and institutional knowledge questions, and it becomes clear: traditional employment models no longer line up with how modern knowledge work actually happens.

 

The path forward

Here’s the reality: presence does not equal productivity. Clocking 40 hours doesn’t mean value is being created. Companies need clarity into what employees are working on, where time is going, and whether output aligns with organizational goals.

That’s where Sapience Workforce Intelligence comes in. Our platform gives leaders unbiased, near real-time visibility into both enterprise (internal) and external (contingent) staff. You’ll see where time is being spent, identify inefficiencies, and ensure that full-time salaries reflect full-time contributions. The result: higher productivity, fairer pay alignment, and the ability to redirect wasted spend toward future growth initiatives.

 

Stop paying for part-time work at full-time rates

Knowledge is power, but visibility is leverage. If you want to know whether you’re paying for real output — not just presence — now is the time to act.

Interested in seeing how SapienceIQ can help? Let’s set up a customized demo and explore how Workforce Intelligence can transform the way you manage, measure, and maximize your most important resource: your people.