Nearly one in five employees admit secretly juggling two jobs

Nearly a fifth (19 percent) of employees are secretly juggling two competing jobs; this practice is called “polygamy” and almost a quarter (24 percent) believe it is “justified.”

The findings come from a survey conducted for fraud prevention service Cifas.

The research, which surveyed 2,000 employees from industries including HR, engineering, finance and IT, also found that 19 percent of individuals or someone they know used fake references to cover employment gaps.

The survey, conducted by Opinion Matters in July, focused on staff at UK companies employing at least 1,000 people.

Mike Haley, CEO of Cifas, said: “Our Workplace Fraud Trends research doesn’t just reflect individual preferences. It reveals systemic blind spots across a range of growing threats affecting the workplace, from polygamist working to UK professionals using fake reference homes.”

“Recruitment fraud driven by modern work styles and AI is a rapidly growing challenge for organizations,” said Keith Rosser, president of the Better Hiring Institute and director of Reed Screening.

Cifas encourages employers to thoroughly review individuals’ qualifications and work history.

The figures follow new research revealing that three in five workers in low-paid jobs are skipping meals, unable to heat their homes or taking out payday loans to cover basic needs.

The Living Wage Foundation said its survey of 2,000 workers showed the “devastating impact” of low wages on people’s lives.

Two in five people said they had to use the food bank; this proportion has risen to more than half of low-wage workers with dependent children.

The research was based on a survey of workers in London who were paid below the voluntary so-called real living wage of £12.60 and £13.85 per hour.